The Internet has created a place to experiment with their sexuality. It takes
many heterosexual men, who previously only fantasized about it, step out and
have cybersex with other men. These are some of the conclusions of the “Typing,
Doing and Being – A study of But who have Sex with Men and Sexuality on the
Internet”, a new dissertation from Malmo University. Michael W. Ross
dissertation thesis on March 10 and the dissertation is the first in the Faculty
of Health and Society and also the first of the new research subject of health
and society.

The thesis, which shows that the Internet revolution is changing sexuality,
consists of a theoretical part, a frame, and six articles with empirical
studies, made in USA and Sweden.

- The results show that we reach people via the Internet as we do not at all or
with difficulty, to reach the traditional way, “says Michael W. Ross. This makes
Internet interventions an important tool in health education. We can also
characterize the people who use the Internet for sexual purposes.

For example, it appears that among men who have sex with other men, they are
reached via the online survey compared to those achieved in more traditional
ways younger, less educated, are more residents in smaller towns and rural areas
and also more prone bisexuellt.

In the theoretical part examines Michael W. Ross social science theories and
sexuality in relation to the Internet, including on the cybersex as an
opportunity to go half-way between fantasy and action, as the Internet
marketplace and the arena for sexual experiences and sexual experimentation and
the Internet influence what regards the creation of sexual cultures and
sexuality.

- The idea was that my thesis would be about sexuality, “says Michael W. Ross.
When I received the data relating to Internet and sexuality in Sweden, I
understood that it was a new place for sexual interaction, an ‘erotic oasis’,
which does not look like other places of sexual meetings. I was fascinated by
what was going on the Internet and targeted the thesis of this phenomenon.

In the empirical part of the thesis is a comparison between Internet studies and
conventional examinations of men who have sex with other men, between an
Internet survey on sexuality and a national survey of sexual health in Sweden in
1996, and between those who quit and those who do not finish answering of
questions in an Internet survey on sexuality.

- The Swedish study shows that men end the question-answering earlier than women
and that sexual orientation and Inter Rooster connection’s speed also affects,
“says Michael W. Ross.

The thesis also takes up the phenomenon of “misrepresentation”, the Internet
provides a different image of himself than the real. It is possible to identify
people who do things sexual on the Internet that they would not do in real life.

- Data from the Swedish base shows that 10% of the interviewees were
heterosexuals who had cybersex with another man, “says Michael W. Ross. This is
something new. Earlier there were just the imagination of the person’s head, now
can he or she practice it interactively via the Internet in anonymity. The
boundaries between the concepts of “who you are”, “true” and “false” is fluid.

Work on the thesis has been carried out in close connection to Natsexprojektet
led by Sven-Axel Mansson, professor of social work at Health and Society, Malmo
University and also a supervisor for Michael W. Ross. Natsexprojektet included
in the research program of Gender, sexuality and social work.

Dissertation takes place on Friday March 10 at 10.15 in the auditorium at the
Health and Society, Entrance 49, University Hospital MAS, Malmo.

For more information contact Michael W. Ross via Michael.W.Ross @ uth.tmc.edu or
Sven-Axel Mansson, phone 040-665 78 19 and 0708-655 264.

The thesis can be ordered by Carina Grujic, Health and Society, via mail
carina.grujic @ hs.mah.se or telephone 040-665 74 69.