Sexuality is an integral part of human existence and has been since time immemorial. Sexuality involves physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and cultural aspects. As such, it influences people's lives extensively, from the choice of partners to the behavior in sexual encounters, and even beyond. In this context, sexuality education plays a crucial role in shaping individuals' ideas about sex, sexuality, intimacy, and relationships.
With the advent of social media, many young adults nowadays are more exposed to sexually explicit material than ever before. This raises concerns regarding their development of healthy and realistic expectations regarding sexuality. Therefore, this article explores how habitual engagement with sexualized social media content may contribute to normalizing unrealistic sexual expectations and relational dissatisfaction.
Sexually explicit social media platforms, such as OnlyFans, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, or Pornhub, allow users to explore different types of sexualities, orientations, preferences, and practices at any time. Such a vast array of choices can have profound implications for people's perceptions of what is "normal" when it comes to sex, eroticism, or intimacy.
Some users might be introduced to BDSM, fetishes, kinks, or other activities that they did not know existed. At first glance, such exposure might seem advantageous, providing users with diverse perspectives on sexuality and promoting experimentation. Nonetheless, excessive consumption of pornographic or erotic content could lead to the belief that all sex has to be extreme, novel, exciting, spontaneous, or aggressive. As a result, some people might develop unsustainable standards of sexual satisfaction, eventually leading them to feel frustrated in mundane sexual encounters.
Social media content often portrays perfect bodies, relationships, or experiences, which might lead users to compare themselves to others, creating feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, or shame. Consequently, individuals may become overly dependent on these fantasies, making their real-life partnerships pale in comparison. The pressure to live up to such high standards may also cause people to avoid talking about their needs and desires, resulting in relationship dysfunctions like infidelity, abuse, or lack of communication. In addition, seeing the same type of content repeatedly may make users immune to its effects, prompting them to seek out even more extreme material.
While engagement with sexualized social media content can help people explore different facets of sexuality, it can also contribute to unrealistic expectations and relational dissatisfaction. To mitigate this issue, education and regulation are necessary. Firstly, schools should provide sex education programs focused on teaching students how to have healthy sexual relationships. Secondly, platforms should implement measures to filter inappropriate content for minors and discourage the normalization of sexual objectification.
Parents and caregivers must educate children about online safety and responsible consumption of such content.
By understanding the potential consequences of habitual engagement with sexualized social media content, we can work towards developing healthier perceptions of sexuality and relationships.
Can habitual engagement with sexualized social media content contribute to normalization of unrealistic sexual expectations and relational dissatisfaction?
According to research studies on the impact of sexually suggestive social media use on romantic relationships, there is evidence that repeated exposure to images and videos displaying overly idealized body types and sexual behaviors can lead to increased acceptance of such norms as an expectation for one's partner. This may create a mismatch between the actual physical appearance and behavioral preferences of individuals and their ideal partners, leading to discontentment in the relationship.