Intimacy, Power and Pleasure: The Linguistic Construction of Identity in Online Personal-ads for Casual Sex

Abstract

This thesis explores the linguistic construction of sexual identities in online personal-ads for male-male casual sex. Specifically, it will investigate how POSTERS of Craigslist advertisements for casual sex construct their identity in part through defining not only their pleasure, but also a relationship of power and intimacy with the identity of the desired TARGET in creating imaginary sexual encounters. The analysis will make use of quantitative corpus linguistic methods and qualitative analytical frameworks in drawing out and interpreting the empiricallyvalid patterns of discourse that construct these identities and relationships.