Sexual encounters: Gay male college students' use of the Internet and social media

Abstract

There have been many studies that focus on understanding various aspects of human sexuality and how it relates to college students. However, the current research focuses on heterosexual students, leaving a void in the research that focuses on gay male college students. Even more crucially, there is a void in research that focuses on the sexual risks gay male college students’ face and how their actions impact their well-being. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore gay male college students’ sexual behavior and its implications in higher education and gay male health practices. The Health Belief Model and Ecological Gay Identity Development model were used as guiding frameworks and foundations to explore the tricking encounters and culture experienced by gay male college students. The data from this study produced a total of four significant and frequently interwoven themes. The themes were as follows: tricking encounters and use of the Internet and social media, masculinity and body image issues, awareness of STD issues and personal safety, and adequacy of campus resources. In addition, conclusions, limitations, implications and recommendations for future research are presented in this study. This study contains adult content and graphic language.