Sexting, Snapchat & Social Norms: Because everybody is doing it?

This research aims to uncover what social norms Icelandic youth are developing and applying to sexting via Snapchat; the factors that influence the norm development; and how the norms coincide or differ across age, gender, and relational contexts. It is one of the first qualitative studies to explore sexting from youth’s perspectives. The focus on Icelandic youth provides an excellent opportunity to yield insights into the relative influence of the socio-cultural context due to Iceland’s small population and the ensuing lack of anonymity among inhabitants. The social norms theory (Berkowitz & Perkins, 1986; 1987) is used to acquire an understanding of the influence of social norms on engagement in sexting. It is the guiding theory of the research because it recognizes the important role of peers in influencing youth’s behaviours. It posits that peer influence is indirect because it is based on youth’s subjective perceptions about social norms, especially regarding its prevalence among peers (Berkowitz, 2005). A total of 33 participants between 16-25 years old participated in eight focus groups that took place in Iceland in the summer of 2015. Focus groups were considered the best means of exploring sexting norms because they simulate the everyday conversations in which social norms develop. Due to the sensitivity of the topic, each focus group was composed of participants that are close friends with another. Moreover, the discussion took place from a third-person perspective that did not require the participants to reveal any personal experiences of sexting. The results of the thematic analysis revealed that sexting is undeniably prevalent, yet sexting outside relationships is more stigmatized among Icelandic youth than commonly thought. The stigma suggests that youth do not blindly sext because ‘everybody is doing it’. Rather, their decision to engage in sexting is subject to the influence of more complex factors than merely commonness. The argument, based on the findings, is that the predominant peer influence is more direct than the social norms theory posits, with social pressure being an overriding factor. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and policy implications of the findings, as well as reflection of the limitations and suggestions for future research.