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The Sexual Use of a Social Networking Site: The Case of Pup Twitter

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  • Liam Wignall

Abstract

This article examines how Twitter has been adopted and used by a sexual subculture in distinct ways. Drawing on interviews with 26 gay and bisexual men based in the UK who identify as ‘pups’, it demonstrates how a kinky sexual subculture exists on a social networking site in new and innovative ways, adapting various elements of Twitter to form a unique subculture that I call ‘Pup Twitter’. Engaging with debates about social trends related to sexuality, as well as contemporary understandings of social networking sites, the study documents how this subcultural sexual community, while predating Twitter, has adopted online methods to enhance communication, engagement, and even visibility. The intersection of sexuality and social networking sites is an area ripe for further study, and this article develops empirical and conceptual ways to examine this issue in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Liam Wignall, 2017. "The Sexual Use of a Social Networking Site: The Case of Pup Twitter," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 22(3), pages 21-37, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:22:y:2017:i:3:p:21-37
    DOI: 10.1177/1360780417724066
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Judith Treas & Jonathan Lui & Zoya Gubernskaya, 2014. "Attitudes on marriage and new relationships," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(54), pages 1495-1526.
    2. Michael Fisher & Martin Abbott & Kalle Lyytinen, 2014. "Seeing and Being Seen," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: The Power of Customer Misbehavior, chapter 6, pages 82-97, Palgrave Macmillan.
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