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At least for me, it's empowering: the changing experience of sex work in the digital age
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Fowler, Kurt. At least for me, it's empowering: the changing experience of sex work in the digital age. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-1nn1-sy51

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TitleAt least for me, it's empowering: the changing experience of sex work in the digital age
NameFowler, Kurt (author); Miller, Jody (chair); Rengifo, Andres F (internal member); Chin, Ko-lin (internal member); Panfil, Vanessa (outside member); Rutgers University; Graduate School - Newark
Date Created2019
Other Date2019-05 (degree)
SubjectCriminal Justice, Sex workers, Technology -- Social aspects
Extent1 online resource (viii, 270 pages)
DescriptionThis study examines how a unique group of sex workers uses the Internet to do their jobs, and how this new technology has affected different areas of their lives: how participants came to enter sex work, create and shape identities in real and digital spaces, and how they perceive and respond to on-the-job risks. Though the workers interviewed participated in different kinds of sex work that was delivered in a variety of ways, they shared a reliance on technology, and described similar processes concerning their entrance, and the management of their identity, business and security concerns.

This project moves away from the “traditional” research paradigms of legality, deviance, and public health and instead uses qualitative research methods to investigate how digital workers use new technologies to create new systems and structures to aid in entrance and address issues in their work. Data was gathered through 50 in-depth interviews with a sample of sex workers from a variety of western nations who rely on Internet technology for their work. Study participants were identified using snowball sampling methods and the interviews were conducted using a semi- structured interview guide that included questions pertaining to how they entered sex work, the daily processes of their work life, and the broader implications of sex work in both society and their personal lives.

This investigation explores the contours of digital sex work, utilizing the experiences of a range of digital providers to argue that the Internet has created substantial changes to the organization of, incentives for, and challenges associated with sex work for those who rely on it for their work. This research joins a growing catalog of scholarship examining the changing social and technological landscape of sex work. Research on the normative aspects of sex work is rare and examining the impact of technology on the way workers construct new tools and systems to address long-standing issues is incredibly important. The dissertation offers new theoretical insights along with recommendations for policy and future opportunities to further scholarship on sex work in the digital age.
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-1nn1-sy51
LanguageEnglish
CollectionGraduate School - Newark Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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