Fourth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Over the years, advances in technology, cultural dynamism, and social attitudes coupled with easy access to recording devices such as mobile phones have transformed the landscape of what is published on the Internet. Pornography and related videos of nudity as well as secretly recorded sexual experiences of people easily find their way to the public space through the Internet. People are in a haste to publish their experiences, including private experiences such as sexual encounters between couples and nude photographs that were hitherto, kept strictly private. In the same vein, access to these contents online is almost limitless. While some people are victims of this sub-culture, others are not, since some of the sexually explicit videos are published by some of these ‘actors’ themselves. The study explores the sub-culture of voyeurism among Ghanaians and analyses what influences people who post their covertly or overtly recorded sex acts online for public consumption. Also, the effects that exposure of the covertly recorded sex acts have on victims will be examined through the phenomenological analysis of interviews of victims. The study is prompted by the current discussion on secret videos and online usage. The study apart from contributing to literature on voyeurism and the use of the online space underscores what motivates people to secretly videotape their own sexual encounters. The study also examines the motivations behind secretly recording other people’s private sex acts and publishing online. The study attempts to discover the existence of any relationship between voyeurism and culture.