Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Publication Date

Spring 2022

College

Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, College of

Department

Sociology, Department of

BURS Faculty Advisor

Erin M. Pryor Ph.D

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Abstract

Sex work is deemed one of the world’s most ancient professions, but it has undergone substantial changes within even the last 20 years (Kipling 1888; Jones 2015; Sanders, Connelly and King 2016). The emergence of the Internet has shifted the work locations of sex work from saunas, brothels, and street work to online platforms as well as the use of the Internet as a mediator for in-person sex work (Jones 2015; Jonsson, Sveden and Hyden 2014). This migration in the nature of sex work has changed its delivery and interaction for both workers and clients. The appeals of online sex work include physical safety, better wages, reduced interaction with law enforcement, job satisfaction, increased autonomy, and avenues for political action. The unique dangers of sex work include isolation, capping, and doxing (Jones 2015; Campbell et al. 2019). Through our process in Dr. Pryor’s Social Research Methods course, our aim has been to analyze online sex work through an extensive literature review, primary survey research, secondary data analysis, content analysis, and an interview. We have examined knowledge and attitudes about online sex work, the makeup and thinking patterns of sex work clients, and sex workers’ experience with clients and their peers in the online sphere.

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