Social Media and Our Growing Culture of Sexual Voyeurism

Watching others has long been a popular turn-on.

First, the completely unshocking truth: people are using social media more than ever before.

As of 2018, it was reported that 75% of United States adults over the age of 24 and 94% of 18 to 24-year-olds use social media. It's the older adults who claim the lion's share of Facebook and YouTube traffic and the younger ones who use apps like Instagram, SnapChat, and Twitter.

So what does all of this mean for sex and society in the future?

It could be a sign that we're becoming more voyeuristic as a whole. With nearly 24-hour, unfettered access into other people's lives, it's almost impossible not to take on the role of the maligned “Peeping Tom”?

Modern day social media goes much further than before.

The early years

Back in the infancy of social media, sites like Facebook were only available to college students. It was a place for young people in similar circumstances to post photos, meet new people, and to talk about their shared experiences.

MySpace was a more public social platform that allowed members to design unique profiles and share their favorite music. But those days are long gone.

Not only has Facebook turned into a public soapbox where anyone can share anything they want, but newer platforms such as Fetlife.com have exploded in popularity. Fetlife is a social media platform that works much like Facebook, but with a focus on sharing kinky sexual interests and fetishes.

It alone boasts over 7.5 million members who are constantly sharing their bedroom habits, tips on engaging on fetish play, and extremely personal pictures and videos. These members are, in essence, opening up their bedrooms to any voyeur who feels like taking a look. And they do it a very non-nonchalant way. In their own words, Fetlife is “Like Facebook, but run by kinksters like you and me.”

Are you a voyeur?

In order to figure out if we're really becoming more voyeuristic, you have to take a look at what we're watching. The most popular genres on YouTube are nothing close to an honest look inside a person's life.

In fact, written and produced comedy and skit videos are at the top of the pile. Those are followed by beauty videos, gaming videos, and tech videos. You have to get all of the way down to the fifth most popular genre to find family focused content.

These are videos where parents talk about the challenges of raising their parents. It should also be stated that all of these genres pale in comparison to the biggest draw of YouTube; music videos. Artists like Katy Perry blows all of the competition out of the water.

The same is true of all other platforms. One look at Facebook or SnapChat is enough to know that you're not taking an honest look at another person's life. What you're getting is what they want you to see. They're putting forth a false representation of the way their lives truly play out. They choose how they want to be seen and the “voyeur” is forced to accept it.

So are we really becoming more voyeuristic?

The short answer is no. Human beings are just naturally inquisitive and curious. If you put something in front of us, we're going to look at it.

The definition of a voyeur is: “a person who gains sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity.” That's not what you get with social media. You simply get to see what other people want to show you in good fun.

That's not to say that there aren't ways to get closer to actual voyeurism, though. New options are coming out all of the time. As technology gets better, so do the options for showing yourself off.

Men and women all over the world are moving onto sites like voyeurhouse [NSFW]. These allow people the chance to offer 24-hour live, unfettered access into their lives.

It's for the people who really want a way to show themselves off to the world. Anyone can log on at any time to see them having sex or engaging in simple, common tasks like cooking. It's the closest that you can feel to true voyeurism.

So, back to the original question: is technology making us more voyeuristic?

The real answer is yes and no. No, more people aren't becoming voyeurs. Most mainstream activities are simply revolving around looking at things that people want them to see.

What does happen is an increase in the ease of voyeurism. People can get their kicks for both spying and being spied on, especially when it comes to sites like voyeurhouse.tv. The thing to remember is that all of the people broadcasting are doing so willingly and in a safe manner.

That all comes together to mean that social media and new technology is making voyeurism safer for everyone involved and that's not a bad thing. Exploring your kinks safely is as important as exploring them in the first place.

Image sources: geralt