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What happens to that racy text or photo after you’ve hit send?
Do you expect the recipient to delete it? Can they keep it, as long as they don’t share it? And do those answers change after the relationship breaks off?
These are some of the questions two researchers are tackling in a new study about sexting.
“There isn’t necessarily a uniform response to that,” said Brandon Sparks, a post-doctoral fellow in the psychology department at the University of New Brunswick, who is conducting the study with Jennifer McArthur, a PhD student in the psychology and neuroscience department at Dalhousie University.
“Some people are absolutely opposed to any of that being kept, and they feel absolutely 100 per cent it should be deleted, whether or not they’ve had that conversation,” Sparks continued.
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“Others actually have expressed that they would find it hot if the person kept them and continued to view them. So I think what this really speaks to is that people can’t assume what is being done or what should be done.”
Sparks and McArthur are seeking participants for online interviews about their sexting habits.
The researchers plan to ask why people sext, how it makes them feel, how they decide what or when to send content, whether they view it as risky behaviour and how they mitigate those risks.
Sparks said technology has changed how people date or maintain relationships, and it’s important to understand how human relations have adapted to new technologies.
But societal norms about sexting aren’t widely understood — if societal norms even exist yet.
McArthur said, for instance, that unsolicited photos of a sexual nature are generally viewed as inappropriate, but on some apps, some users just expect them.
“I’ve spoken to a few people who are like, if you go on, say, Grindr or Tinder, it is an expectation and sometimes you just get it in your inbox and that’s kind of how you decide if you want to date that person,” McArthur said.
It can be hard to navigate what is or is not appropriate, especially since, the researchers say, many people do not have open conversations with their sexting partners about sexting.
“It’s kind of like dating and sex more generally. It can be quite overwhelming for some people if everything is just assumed and never spoken,” Sparks said.
“If we can normalize that kind of conversation the same way we want to normalize conversations about consensual sex, everyone’s going to be better off.”
Sparks said other research has shown that some people sext because they view it as safer than physical sex, while others view sexting as risky.
McArthur said it’s important to understand sexting behaviour because sexual violence can occur online and cause serious consequences and real harm.
“So knowing how it’s actually happening, what behaviours are taking place, how these interactions are occurring, better positions us to be able to offer solutions.”
Anyone wishing to participate in the study can contact the researchers at bsparks@unb.ca or jennifer.mcarthur@dal.ca.
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