Blog post # 3 It's all about the freedom
Hasinoff’s discussion regarding the production of sexual identity on line is interesting because it analyzes the widely accepted believes that girls who have constructed sexual representations of themselves online are either victims or irresponsible individuals. The point regarding that sexting is an media production is very true—the girls’ sense of identity and understanding of adulthood often comes from mass media outlets and the cultural industry, therefore the sexual expressions are an indisputable outcome of the value system that surrounds the girls. In addition, society does not clearly distinguish the categorization between self-elicited sexual expression and nonconsensual sexting. Singular standard and values are forced upon adolescent girls to reject their sexual desire for the prevention of possible “predators” and unauthorized usage of their messages and images. To suppress natural tendencies for the sake of safety by using scare tactics is unrealistic, especially as Hasinoff quotes Dohrn, girls are subjected to more surveillance and punishment than boys.
I would argue in agreemtn with Hasinoff that online interactivity is not as simple as some of the activists' s argument debasing the girls’ active sexting online. Because as Banet-Weiser echoes in her article, “the construction of the self is not an insular, isolated activity, but is rather situated in a media and cultural context that involves a dynamic between the self and others.” The involvement of medium, content and feedback is an important component during the process which self representation is created. The post feminist self is dictated by an overwhelming sense of sexual freedom, truthful expression (might often be outrageous or violent as in the case of Barbie doll), but the crucial aspect is that girls have utilized internet to explore gender and sexual identities as well as the opportunity to be free.
Ivy Y.