Selected Papers of #AoIR2024: The 25th Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers Sheffield, UK / 30 Oct - 2 Nov 2024 Pinch, A & Suenzo, F. (2024, October). Cultures of Sex Advice: Examining TikTok Communities around Sexual Health in the US. Paper presented at AoIR2024: The 25th Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers. Sheffield, UK: AoIR. Retrieved from http://spir.aoir.org. CULTURES OF SEX ADVICE: EXAMINING TIKTOK COMMUNITIES AROUND SEXUAL HEALTH IN THE US Annika Pinch Northwestern University Facundo Suenzo Northwestern University Introduction/Background The relationship between media and sexuality has undergone a significant transformation in the context of modernity, influencing societal perspectives on love, relationships, and pleasure (Bauman, 2013; Beck & Beck-Gernsheim, 2018; Giddens, 2013). This study investigates the evolving landscape of sexual health in the digital age, specifically focusing on how sexuality experts convey advice on online platforms and the subsequent interactions and perceptions of audiences. Our research builds upon Steven Epstein’s (2022) thesis on the diversification of sexual health expertise, where the “blossoming of expertise constitutes a kind of democratization of knowledge and advice-giving, while also raising perplexing questions about who should be trusted and why” (p.19). To explore this tension, we also draw from Science and Technology Studies’ literature on knowledge, credibility, and trust (Collins, 1981; Epstein, 1995; Jasanoff, 2004; Latour, 1987; Shapin, 1994). In the context of the ever-expanding digital realm, understanding these dynamics is crucial for comprehending the impact of technology on sexuality. While the relationship between sex advice, health, and media is not new (Attwood, 2017; Barker et al., 2018; Bashford & Strange, 2004), the prevalence of online technologies, particularly social media platforms, has transformed the way individuals seek and receive advice on sexuality. The arrival of the Internet and its increasing accessibility has impacted the nature of mediated sex advice (Attwood et al., 2015). Indeed, a new strand of scholarship seeks to explain how advice and expertise are being formed and transmitted in digital spaces (Avella, 2023; Hendry et al., 2022; Maddox, 2023; Southerton, 2021; Stein et al., 2022). As Barker and colleagues (2018) suggest, one of the central differences with previous mediated forms of sex advice is the changing status and relationship between advice-givers and audiences. However, little is known about how audiences engage with sexual advice, with some exceptions (Yeo & Chu, 2017). We thus focus on audiences’ multiple ways of knowing, participating, and challenging conventional authority, drawing from Albury and Hendry’s (2023) framework, who privilege ritualistic aspects of communication as opposed to a transmission view of communication. Research Questions This study investigates how sexuality experts communicate sexual advice on online platforms and how audiences interact with and perceive these experts. Our study aligns with this year’s conference theme – examining the emergence and continuation of industries like sexual health education – highlighting the dynamics that arise within online spaces. We thus propose the following research questions: RQ1: How do sexuality experts build credibility amongst their audience? RQ2: What are the ways in which audiences engage with this content and evaluate creators’ expertise and credibility? Methods To answer these questions, we use TikTok as our site of analysis because of the potential for creators to reach diverse and sizable audiences, aided by TikTok’s unique affordances (Miltsov, 2022; Schellewald, 2021). Analyzing TikTok videos is still an evolving methodology, and we thus followed guidelines and advice from emerging research (Zhao, 2024). For the first phase of our project, we selected 20 sex experts, whose videos consistently garnered over 100,000 views each, compiling each expert’s fifteen most viewed videos (n=300). These experts were chosen by reading articles that recommended the top sex experts to follow (Inks, 2022) and searching keywords on TikTok such as ‘Sex Expert’ or ‘Sex Therapist’. The chosen videos were in English, publicly accessible, and attributed to creators located in the United States, as indicated by profile information. We used a thematic analysis approach - watching videos, discussing emerging themes and grouping them thematically. During this phase, we noticed creators actively engaged within comment sections. To capture these interactions, we made a subsample of each expert’s top five videos, including their top five comments in our analysis (n=500). We similarly read through these comments and created themes. For the second phase of the project, we will conduct in-depth online interviews with individuals who regularly contribute to sex education content on TikTok (n=15). We will prioritize participants with a substantial number of followers and engagement rates, ensuring their influence within the platform’s community. All participants will be over 18 and United States residents. The interviews will delve into how experts conceptualize sexual health, build credibility, and understand their audience, among other themes. Preliminary Results Below, we present preliminary results, and by the conference date, we anticipate incorporating our interview findings. Building and Maintaining Credibility We found that an important part of building and maintaining credibility happened beyond the TikTok videos themselves. Creators' ability to engage in relational labor (Baym, 2018), often important for “maintaining an audience and earning money” (Bonifacio et al., 2021; p. 2686), was vital in this process, especially in instances where their expertise was questioned. Creators employed various strategies when questioned, including responding to comments, crafting replies to videos, and utilizing humor to connect with users. In one case, a user expressed disagreement with a creator, to which the creator responded, “I said what I said but I said it with <3”, attaching a reply video which used humor and incorporated pop culture references, before gradually transitioning into a more serious response. This nuanced handling of comments revealed a delicate balance creators needed to maintain - being both authoritative while acknowledging the diverse experiences and opinions of their users so as not to alienate them. Our observations extended beyond creators themselves, revealing instances where fellow audience members played a role in validating creators' expertise. Meisner (2023) explored the ways in which creators and audiences rely on each other, especially when facing hostility. Building on this, we saw collective strategies emerge when creators' expertise was challenged. In one instance, a user skeptically questioned the creator (“How would you know?”) with another user replying, “She is a doctor.” In a different case, a user affirmed the creator's expertise by acknowledging, “Being a kink educator must be exhausting with all the uneducated people on this app.” Both creators and audiences actively contributed to the establishment and reinforcement of expertise. Cultures of Advice Comment sections emerged as dynamic spaces for discourse. We found that sexual health advice was not solely coming from creators, but also from those engaging in comments, fostering a culture of advice related to the video’s theme. One user shared their advice on a video about first-time sexual experiences, stating, “pro tip: be loose and laugh off embarrassing moments (bc they WILL happen)...” in which other users liked and responded. The comment sections turned into spaces of community building, where people shared experiences, found validation, and tagged friends and partners. Indeed, as Albury and Hendry (2023) have argued, “media is not about the transmission of information – it is about building and sustaining culture” (p. 639). Creators have long been attuned to audience tastes (Duffy et al., 2021), and we similarly saw the importance of being flexible and creating videos based on what audiences wanted to engage with. One creator made a video addressing colorism in sex and relationships to which a user asked, “Are [white] people able to be colorist?” The creator then focused their next video on this question. The audience actively influenced the content landscape, challenging the conventional top-down hierarchy in sexual education where expertise is unilaterally shared. The observed cultures of advice surrounding sexual health thereby also emphasizes the necessity for advice that reflects diverse experiences and comes from various voices. References Albury, K., & Hendry, N. (2023). Information, influence, ritual, participation: Defining digital sexual health. Journal of Sociology, 59(3), 628–645. https://doi.org/10.1177/14407833221136579 Attwood, F. (2017). Sex Media. John Wiley & Sons. Attwood, F., Barker, M. J., Boynton, P., & Hancock, J. (2015). Sense about sex: Media, sex advice, education and learning. Sex Education, 15(5), 528–539. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2015.1057635 Avella, H. (2023). “TikTok ≠ therapy”: Mediating mental health and algorithmic mood disorders. New Media & Society, 14614448221147284. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221147284 Barker, M.-J., Gill, R., & Harvey, L. (Eds.). (2018). Mediated Intimacy. Sex Advice in Media Culture. Polity Press. Bashford, A., & Strange, C. (2004). Public Pedagogy: Sex Education and Mass Communication in the Mid-Twentieth Century. Journal of the History of Sexuality, 13(1), 71–99. Bauman, Z. (2013). Liquid love: On the frailty of human bonds. John Wiley & Sons. Baym, N. K. (2018). Playing to the Crowd: Musicians, Audiences, and the Intimate Work of Connection. In Playing to the Crowd. New York University Press. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479896165.001.0001 Beck, U., & Beck-Gernsheim, E. (2018). The normal chaos of love. John Wiley & Sons. Bonifacio, R., Hair, L., & Wohn, D. Y. (2021). Beyond fans: The relational labor and communication practices of creators on Patreon. New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211027961 Collins, H. M. (1981). Son of Seven Sexes: The Social Destruction of a Physical Phenomenon. Social Studies of Science, 11(1), 33–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/030631278101100103 Duffy, B. E., Pinch, A., Sannon, S., & Sawey, M. (2021). The Nested Precarities of Creative Labor on Social Media. Social Media + Society, 7(2), 205630512110213. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211021368 https://doi.org/10.1177/14407833221136579 https://doi.org/10.1177/14407833221136579 https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2015.1057635 https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221147284 https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479896165.001.0001 https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479896165.001.0001 https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211027961 https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211027961 https://doi.org/10.1177/030631278101100103 https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211021368 https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211021368 Epstein, S. (1995). The construction of lay expertise: AIDS activism and the forging of credibility in the reform of clinical trials. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 20(4), 408–437. Epstein, S. (2022). The Quest for Sexual Health: How an Elusive Ideal Has Transformed Science, Politics, and Everyday Life. University of Chicago Press. Giddens, A. (2013). The transformation of intimacy: Sexuality, love and eroticism in modern societies. John Wiley & Sons. Hendry, N. A., Hartung, C., & Welch, R. (2022). Health education, social media, and tensions of authenticity in the ‘influencer pedagogy’ of health influencer Ashy Bines. Learning, Media and Technology, 47(4), 427–439. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2021.2006691 Inks, L. (2022, March 8). 13 Sex Therapists On TikTok You Need to Follow. https://www.bustle.com/wellness/sex-therapists-follow-tiktok Jasanoff, S. (Ed.). (2004). States of knowledge. The co-production of science and social order. Routledge. Latour, B. (1987). Science in action: How to follow scientists and engineers through society. Harvard University Press. Maddox, J. (2023). Micro-celebrities of information: Mapping calibrated expertise and knowledge influencers among social media veterinarians. Information, Communication & Society, 26(14), 2726– 2752.https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2109980 Meisner, C. (2023). Networked Responses to Networked Harassment? Creators’ Coordinated Management of “Hate Raids” on Twitch. Social Media + Society, 9(2), 205630512311796. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231179696 Miltsov, A. (2022). Researching TikTok: Themes, Methods, and Future Directions. In A. Quan-Haase & L. Sloan (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Social Media Research Methods. SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529782943 Schellewald, A. (2021). Communicative Forms on TikTok: Perspectives From Digital Ethnography. International Journal of Communication, 15(0), Article 0. Shapin, S. (1994). A social history of truth: Civility and science in seventeenth-century. The University of Chicago Press. Southerton, C. (2021). Research Perspectives on TikTok & Its Legacy Apps| Lip- Syncing and Saving Lives: Healthcare Workers on TikTok. International Journal of Communication, 15(0), Article 0. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2021.2006691 https://www.bustle.com/wellness/sex-therapists-follow-tiktok https://www.bustle.com/wellness/sex-therapists-follow-tiktok https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2109980 https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231179696 https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529782943 Stein, K., Yao, Y., & Aitamurto, T. (2022). Examining Communicative Forms in #TikTokDocs’ Sexual Health Videos. International Journal of Communication, 16(0), Article 0. Yeo, T. E. D., & Chu, T. H. (2017). Sharing “Sex Secrets” on Facebook: A Content Analysis of Youth Peer Communication and Advice Exchange on Social Media about Sexual Health and Intimate Relations. Journal of Health Communication, 22(9), 753–762. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2017.1347217 Zhao, Y. (2024). TikTok and Researcher Positionality: Considering the Methodological and Ethical Implications of an Experimental Digital Ethnography. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 23, 16094069231221374. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231221374 https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2017.1347217 https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231221374