Does Anyone Even Like Getting Unsolicited Nudes?

One of the common questions people who have received an unsolicited nude, like a "dick pic," ask themselves is why, dear God why? Our research at Carleton University shows that the motivations behind cyberflashing may vary. We found that two of the most common reasons why people choose to send unsolicited nudes of themselves is partner hunting. In other words, cyberflashing is simply a form of flirting in the 21st century and if Mr. Darcy had access to a phone, he'd do the same thing. The second is transactional mindset, where the sender hopes for a tit-for-tat situation and to get a nude in return.

However, if these two motivations behind cyberflashing are truly accurate, then the sender is assuming that the receiver will be happy about the unsolicited nude they got. But what happens in situations where there is a misalignment between the expectations of the sender and the response of the receiver?

This is the question we set out to explore in this study! To do so we recruited a sample of more than 800 undergraduate students. These were mostly female, heterosexual, and White. The students were asked about their cyberflashing history as well as how they usually feel when they receive an unsolicited nude photo and how they expect others do. In this study, we did not specify the relationship between cyberflasher and the person they cyberflash and future studies should address this.

A full 42% of students had cyberflashed someone, and 68% had been cyberflashed. Importantly, in our work we did not use the limiting term "dick pic" like previous research. By using more gender-inclusive language we do not limit our work on the experiences of cis-gender men who send pictures of their genitals and we are able to better understand cyberflashing as a phenomenon. 

Not surprisingly, more than 3 out 4 cyberflashers in our sample expected a flirty reaction to their unsolicited nude and for the receiver to feel "turned on" or "flattered." However, these expectations were a far cry from reality. In fact, over 80% of those who had received an unsolicited nude did not endorse having a single positive reaction, while almost half said they felt "disgusted." Generally, we found women have more negative reactions to being cyberflashed, while men were more likely to recognize that their nudes may not be received well, yet sent them anyway.

At the same time, we found a link between expected and typical responses across the board. Meaning, that a person who usually has positive reactions to an unsolicited nude also expects the person receiving their nudes to be equally appreciative to get one. On the other hand, someone who has a negative reaction when receiving an unsolicited nude, like disgust or anger, is also more likely to expect that the receiver of their nudes would feel the same way. This could be a manifestation of a "false consensus" that leads people to think that others would agree with them. In cyberflashing, it is possible that people who are not opposed to receiving unsolicited nudes may fail to see the situation from someone else's point of view and not understand that others do not necessarily agree with them.

Our advice? Check in with the receiver before you send a sext. No matter how sure you think you are about how they would feel getting a nude from you, consent is crucial! Sexting can be a fun experience, but only if everyone involved is on board. Otherwise, unsolicited nude photos can make people feel unsafe and uncomfortable.

Sexting without asking is akin to showing up naked at someone's house or flashing someone on the street. The format is changed because of technology, but at heart the issue is the same. And perhaps now there is scientific evidence to show that people who receive unsolicited nudes are not thrilled about it, that should be enough to make anyone pause and ask before hitting send!

For Further Reading

Karasavva, V., Swanek, J., Smodis, A., & Forth, A. (2022). Expectations VS reality: Expected and actual affective reactions to unsolicited sexual images. Computers in Human Behavior, 130, 1 – 9, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107181.

Karasavva, V., Brunet, L., Smodis, A., Swanek, J., & Forth, A. (2023). Putting the Y in cyberflashing: Exploring the prevalence and predictors of the reasons for sending unsolicited nude or sexual images. Computers in Human Behavior, 140: 1 – 9, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107181.

Waling, A., Kerr, L., Bourne, A., Power, J., & Kehler, M. (2022). 'It's nice to be appreciated': Understanding heterosexual men's engagements with sexting and sharing Dick Pics. Sexualities, 25(3), 198-221. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2017.1394821

Vasileia Karasavva is a graduate student at the University of British Columbia and is interested in digital social interactions, especially online sexually aggressive behaviors.