A Narrative Review of BDSM/Kink in Technology-Mediated Sexual Interactions
摘要
The aim of this narrative review is to retrieve, summarize, and synthesize qualitative and quantitative peer-reviewed research on bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM) within technology-mediated sexual interactions (TMSI) published since 2007.
Recent FindingsResearch findings suggest that TMSI, such as sexting, cybersex, and avatar sex, are relatively widespread experiences. Separate research indicates that BDSM has become more prevalent over time. People may use TMSI for BDSM, especially during an exploratory phase of sexual development. The online disinhibition effect posits that interactions via technology result in reduced inhibitions because of characteristics present in technology-mediated interactions that are not present in person-to-person interactions. As such, TMSI may provide a space for people to explore and express their sexual selves, including BDSM interests in ways they may not do in-person. We conducted a narrative review by systematically searching PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, and Web of Science to find articles published between 2007–2024 related to BDSM and TMSI. We supplemented the findings with manual searches. We summarized study characteristics and provide a narrative overview of the extracted information.
SummaryThe findings indicate that most research is focused on people who identify with BDSM, and avatar sex. There is little research on people who engage in BDSM but not the community. Some findings align with the online disinhibition effect, indicating that for those who are interested in BDSM, TMSI provides a reduction in inhibition present in in-person contexts. More research is needed to improve knowledge on the dynamics between BDSM and TMSI.