Lecture to discuss how sexual commerce has adapted to the digital age

An exploration of how commercial sex in the Western world is mediated or performed through the internet and digital technologies forms part of a series of free seminars available for the public to attend through 2016/17.

The seminars, led by researchers from a number of institutions, offer a glimpse into a range of topical research areas, including research into Internet Based Sex Workers and the cultural impact of viral mobile app Pokémon Go.

Dr Melanie Kennedy, Lecturer in Media and Communication at the University of Leicester School of Media, Communication and Sociology, who is organising the MediaCom Seminar Series, said: “The MediaCom Seminar Series will get us thinking about the role that the media play in our everyday lives, and the effects that the rapidly-transforming media landscape has on big issues in society and culture. The speakers will encourage us to consider how we might study different media forms and the questions we should be asking, and importantly the series will put on display the variety and breadth of research that is carried out in the field of media and communication.”

The first seminar takes place on Wednesday 19 October and will feature Professor Teela Sanders from the Department of Criminology discussing Webcams, Fantasy Chat and Escorting: Sexual Commerce in the Digital Age.

The seminars are free to attend and open to the public.