Sex on the Internet: observations and implications for Internet sex addiction

Journal of Sex Research, Nov, 2001 by Mark Griffiths

Some researchers have made attempts to explain how and why online relationships and affairs occur. Cooper (1998a) suggested there are three primary factors that facilitate increased online sexuality (accessibility, affordability and anonymity). This was termed the Triple A Engine and the factors are defined as accessibility, in that there are millions of sites available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; affordability, in that competition on the Web keeps prices low and there are many ways to access "free" sex; and anonymity, in that people perceive their communications to be anonymous. Cooper (1998a) asserts that the components of the Triple A Engine appear to be risk factors for Internet users who already have a problem with sexual compulsivity or to those who have psychological vulnerabilities rendering them at risk for developing such compulsivity.

Young (1999b) also developed a variant of the Triple A Engine which she called the ACE model (Anonymity, Convenience, Escape). Neither ACE nor AAA are strictly models, as neither explains the process of how online relationships develop. However, they do provide (in acronym form) the variables and factors involved the in acquisition, development, and maintenance of emotional and/or sexual relationships on the Internet (i.e., anonymity, accessibility, convenience, affordability, and escape). It would also appear that virtual environments have the potential to provide short-term comfort, excitement, and/or distraction. Other "attractive" factors outlined by Schneider (2000) include the fact that cybersex is legal, available in the privacy of one's home, inexpensive, and does not put the user at risk of a sexually transmitted disease. It is also ideal for hiding the activity from a partner because it does not leave any obvious evidence of any sexual encounter. For those online, Internet sex may provide a sense of safety and ready access to partners. Furthermore, for disenfranchised groups (e.g., homosexuals) this might prove an advantage.

Young et al. (2000) claim the anonymity of electronic transactions provides the user with a greater sense of perceived control over the content, tone, and nature of the online sexual experience. They claim that unlike real life sexual experiences, a woman can quickly change partners if her cyber-lover isn't very good or a man can log off after his orgasm without any long goodbyes. Young et al. (2000) also raise questions that the Internet might help in answering. For instance, what if a man privately wondered what it would be like to have sex with another man? Within the anonymous context of cyberspace conventional messages about sex are eliminated, allowing users to play out hidden or repressed sexual fantasies without the fear of being caught. For anyone who has ever been curious about a whole range of sexual behaviors, cybersex offers a private, safe, and anonymous way to explore those fantasies. Young et al. (2000), therefore, claim that individuals are more likely to experiment sexually, as online users feel encouraged to engage in their adult fantasies and validated by the acceptance of the cyberspace culture.