Sexting on Campus: Minimizing Perceived Risks and Neutralizing Behaviors

This study analyzes 85 personal narratives to explore the ways young adults navigate sexting exchanges and find meaning in them within the college context. We find that respondents who sext and those who abstain both believe that sexting carries significant risks, including the possibility that one’s sext could be shared with unintended viewers. Respondents attempt to minimize perceived risks through content control strategies such as “keeping it fun,” limiting explicitness, and creating plausible deniability. Moreover, respondents offer accounts aimed at neutralizing their discreditable actions through the claim of normalcy, justification by comparison, and the claim of benefits. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for micro-sociological perspectives on deviant behavior.