Are You a 'Sexter?' People Harbor Different Expectations about Intimate Messaging

These days, more and more people are communicating via social media. In fact, statistics show that every month, there are over 30,000,000 monthly visitors to Facebook and just about everyone from your grandma to your 7-year-old cousin has a cell phone.

Yet when it comes to communicating via cell phones, many use text messages as an informal way to chat. And for those involved in a romantic situation (or not-clear throat-Anthony Weiner) 'sexting' or sending sexual messages or pictures via text messaging are sometimes created in the hopes of 'getting lucky.' 

In fact, according to researchers from Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, as many as 20 percent of adolescents and 44 percent of young adults have shared nude or semi-nude photos of themselves via cell phone or social networking sites. Yet, the reasons for which each of these individuals does it tends to differ quite greatly.

Some may do it in the hopes of a potential "hook-up" while others can send sexy messages to create some more excitement in their relationship.   

According to study authors Allyson Dir and colleagues of Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, what people expect to experience when they send these messages influences them a great deal on whether or not they will participate in the messaging, period. Particularly between males and females, great differences can be seen when looking at expectations from sending a 'sext,' according to the article "Understanding Differences in Sexting Behaviors across Gender, Relationship Status and Sexual Identity and the Role of Sexting Expectancies in Sexting."

"In the relatively new field of cyberpsychology, we endeavor to learn about the many challenges of current behavior that social networking makes possible," said Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCIA, Editor-in-Chief of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, from the Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, CA, via the release.

Would you send a 'sext?'