Blog 9 – Minority Groups Cybering via BBS Sexual Encounters

By Eric Yu

            Tsang’s article on those who claim minority status on BBS services presents an interesting perspective on past dating experiences work with race. In this case, he notes how BBS users are anonymous to one another, so this helps create the illusion of people interacting with each other. He even claims that CIA took information about him “and [gave] it away to a foreign government” (Tsang, 1994, p. 118). However, he argues that this public sharing of information and changing about one’s own sexuality as being liberating from how real life forces him into a particular lifestyle based off of what others think of him (Tsang, 1994). Additionally, Tsang makes special note on how women are not treated well on these boards catering for gay men. This idea for sexual interactions from faraway distances seems to have grown in popularity, especially with the prevalence of dating services on mobile phones. There are still male and female relationships present on such services that have their own dynamics, particularly with Asian women and white men (Chow & Hu, 2013). However, one should also consider the prevalence of dating services that appeal to gay men, such as Grindr (Signorile, 2013). However, there is always the concern that this service might not serve an ethnic gay community that a BBS has done before.

When most people think of the word “cyber,” they tend to think of computer hacking incidents, not internet sex.

Source: Hopewell, L. (2014, Mar. 12). Why You Sound Dumb When You Use The Word ‘Cyber.” Gizmodo AU. Retrieved from http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/03/why-you-sound-dumb-when-you-use-the-word-cyber/

Question: How confident would one have to be in another person to use their claims within an interview?

References

Chow, K. & Hu, E. (2013, Nov. 30). Odds Favor White Men, Asian Women On Dating App. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/11/30/247530095/are-you-interested-dating-odds-favor-white-men-asian-women

Hopewell, L. (2014, Mar. 12). Why You Sound Dumb When You Use The Word ‘Cyber.” Gizmodo AU. Retrieved from http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/03/why-you-sound-dumb-when-you-use-the-word-cyber/

Signorile, M. (2013, Nov. 26). Joel Simkhai, Grindr Founder And CEO, On Gay Social Networking App's Worldwide Impact. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/26/grindr-joel-simkhai-_n_4343568.html

Tsang, D. C. (1994). Notes on Queer ‘N Asian Virtual Sex. Amerasia Journal 20(1), 117-128.