Sexting Panic: Rethinking Criminalization, Privacy, and Consent

237 Pages·2015·3.513 MB·English

by  Amy Adele Hasinoff

Rethinking Criminalization,
Privacy, and Consent
AMY ADELE HASINOFF
Sexting Panic
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Feminist media studies
Edited by Carol Stabile
SerieS editorial Board
Mary Beltrán, Department of Radio-Television-Film,
University of Texas–Austin
Radhika Gajjala, American Cultural Studies,
Bowling Green University
Mary L. Gray, Department of Communication and Culture,
Indiana University; Senior Researcher, Microsoft Research
Bambi Haggins, Arizona State University, Tempe
Mary Beth Haralovich, University of Arizona, Tucson
Heather Hendershot, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Michele Hilmes, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Nina Huntemann, Suffolk University
Elana Levine, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Robin Means-Coleman, University of Michigan
Mireille Miller-Young, UC Santa Barbara
Isabel Molina-Guzman, University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign
Lisa Nakamura, University of Michigan
Laurie Ouellette, Communication Studies,
University of Minnesota
Carrie Rentschler, McGill University
Kim Sawchuk, Concordia University
Leslie Steeves, University of Oregon
Rebecca Wanzo, Washington University
Natalie Wilson, California State San Marcos
A list of books in the series appears at the end of this book.
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Sexting Panic
rethinking Criminalization,
Privacy, and Consent
amy adele HasinoFF
university oF illinois Press
Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield
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© 2015 by Amy Adele Hasinoff
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 C P 5 4 3 2 1
∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014958126
ISBN 978-0-252-03898-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-252-08062-3 (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-252-09696-9 (e-book)
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Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
part i. typical responses
to sexting
CHaPter 1. The criminalization consensus
and the right to sext 25
CHaPter 2. Beyond teenage biology 49
CHaPter 3. Self-esteem advice and blame 71
part ii. alternative ways to
think about sexting
CHaPter 4. Sexualization and participation 101
CHaPter 5. Information and consent 128
Conclusion 155
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aPPendix 1. A brief history of the sexting panic 161
aPPendix 2. Discourse analysis: How to find
common sense 164
aPPendix 3. Sexting tips and recommendations 168
Notes 173
Works Cited 185
Index 217
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illustrations
1. Mike Galanos says, “It’s not right, girls” 33
2. Mike Galanos asks, “Is there just no shame anymore
with a lot of our young girls?” 65
3. This free printable bookmark was available for download
at www.girlpower.gov (1997) 75
4. The image on the bulletin board (2007a) 82
5. The school janitor takes a copy for himself (2007a) 83
6. A ticket taker leers and says, “Hey Sarah, what color
underwear today?” (2007a) 84
7. The busboy asks, “Hey Sarah, so when are you going
to post something new?” (2007a) 85
8. A still from the documentary Sext Up Kids (2012) 115
9. The number of U.S. newspaper or newswire articles
and transcripts containing the word “sexting,” January
2008–May 2013 162
10. The relative search volume of the term “sexting”
according to data from Google Trends, November
2007–November 2013 163
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acknowledgments
I cannot possibly thank everyone who contributed to this book. But I will start
at my current institution, the University of Colorado Denver, where the support
at all levels has been exceptional, including a grant supporting the last stages
of this project. My new Communication Department colleagues provided a
wonderful intellectual space in which to complete this manuscript. Thanks to
Sonja Foss for her generous and incisive feedback, and to Stephen Hartnett,
Lisa Keränen, Sarah Fields, Michelle Médal, Hamilton Bean, Brian Ott, Brenda
J. Allen, Jim Stratman, Larry Erbert, Gordana Lazic, and Yvette Bueno-Olson,
among others, for helpful comments, guidance, and a warm welcome. I thank
a number of other UCD colleagues for valuable feedback on my final drafts:
Sarah Tyson, Gillian Silverman, Lucy Mcguffey, Andy Rumbach, Carrie Mak-
arewicz, Kelly Palmer, and Margaret Woodhull. Finally, thanks to a number of
UCD and Denver friends who have offered crucial advice and support: Sarah
Hagelin, Dawn Comstock, James Fiumara, Colleen Heineman, John Tinnell,
and Marjorie Levine-Clark.
Carrie Rentschler introduced me to feminist media studies when I was an
undergraduate student at McGill, and her research, mentoring, and teaching
has been a model for me ever since. When I returned to McGill to work with
her as a postdoctoral fellow, her brilliant insights and questions challenged me
to develop this book into its current form. She also offered crucial professional
support and made the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies a
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