Cybersexuality in contemporary environments: an interpretive approach based on the perceptions of university students

Abstract

The research focuses on the theoretical interpretation of cybersexuality among university students, analyzing the use of technologies and social interaction media. It arises from the observation and non-educational use of these tools for sexual pleasure, revealing a consumption of sexual content that has led to new sociocultural practices in globalized societies, where individual and social differences are often overlooked. The theoretical framework is based on connectivism as a theory of the digital age, social cognitive learning theory, and sexual response theory, describing categories such as human sexual ontology and the virtuality-sexuality-education triad. Methodologically, the approach is qualitative, grounded in the interpretative paradigm, focusing on the views of Heidegger, Döring, Houghton, and Levy. Key informants were selected based on their age, being students from UNESR, their use of technology, and their voluntary interest in participating. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were employed for data collection. The results indicate that university students leverage their status as digital natives to learn about sexuality, enabling self-knowledge and identity construction in a virtual environment. Thus, cybersexuality serves as an emotional and social exploration space, where new forms of sexual seeking and massification provide experiences that grant a new dimension to eroticism. This sexual representation offers opportunities for learning and innovation in sexual education, highlighting the fragility of the body in contemporary youth.