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1.
Adult webcam sites with live performers who provide viewer interactive experiences are a rapidly increasing form of sexual entertainment or "sextech." The opportunity to engage with performers during synchronous contact without health risks represents a novel form of transactional sex. This study sought to understand viewer preferences in performers, and how viewers perceive webcam use is affecting their sex lives and their mood. Participants (N = 10,570) responded to a link on the adult webcam platform Chaturbate.com and completed a 93-item survey. Simple frequencies and descriptive statistics were used to characterize responses. Most viewers identified as heterosexual (75.1%) men (94.2%). Two-fifths (40.3%) had no sexual partners over the past 12 months. Exploratory factor analysis showed that respondents' preferred qualities in performers clustered around an ideal sexual partner, an emotional connection, power dynamics, and compliance with viewers' wishes. Respondents generally agreed that webcam use made them better educated about sex (66.0%) and feel better about their sex lives (54.6%), though about one-fourth reported less positive experiences. The majority (72.2%) felt watching cams was less satisfying than sex away from screen and only 19.1% defined watching cams as "real sex." Over half (64.0%) perceived their webcam use as having positive effects on their mood, while a moderate proportion perceived negative emotional consequences. Findings suggest that a majority of viewers experience their webcam activities as a means of obtaining sexual release, but that this is not considered actual sex. Future research should explore additional consequences of long-term use of transactional webcam sex.

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2.
Recent media coverage has often characterized purchasing sex as part of a "human trafficking problem," applying a framework that inaccurately describes most consensual prostitution encounters. Relying on a diverse body of research on sex buying, this chapter describes people who pay for sex, their motives, and the scope of demand for transactional sex. We find that male sex buyers are not generally distinct from other men and that most of those who are arrested are inexperienced. We also find that some men who have never paid for sex would consider doing so under some circumstances. We then describe women who pay for sex and the dynamics associated with those exchanges. We continue by examining clients' motives, finding that they are diverse and varied, with a substantial proportion of buyers seeking emotional and relational experiences similar to those found in conventional non-commercial relationships. Additionally, we describe "sugar dating," a legal form of relational and sexual exchange that further requires reconsidering the nature of sex work and its framing in our cultural discourse.