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Abstract
The aim of the current study was to investigate differences and similarities in participants' use of the Internet for sexually related purposes. An additional goal was to compare heterosexuals, bisexuals, and gay men/lesbians in Sweden regarding the kinds of sexually related activities that they engage in online. Data were collected in 2002 through an online questionnaire from 1,458 respondents who reported that they use the Internet for sexually related purposes. The results suggested bisexuals use the Internet as a resource for information and to interact with people with the same interests and to engage in behaviors that they would not engage in offline. In contrast, gay men and lesbians made use of the Internet more as a tool in their everyday lives, using it more frequently to find offline sex partners and for sexual gratification. By comparison, heterosexuals did not use the Internet for sexual purposes to the same extent as bisexuals or gay men and lesbians. Based upon the results, the authors suggest that greater attention should be paid to sexual orientation in future studies and that failing to acknowledge sexual orientation subgroups as distinct categories might bias research results.