Book Review - Kurt Fowler (2023) The Rise of Digital Sex Work.

As more people gain access to online platforms, traffic and time spent on these platforms also continue to rise.1 In light of this context, The Rise of Digital Sex Work offers a comprehensive and nuanced examination of sex work in the contemporary digital landscape. [...] While this focus enriches the discourse on sex work, it may not represent fully the experiences of less-privileged groups who engage in sex work to survive and because of a dearth of other employment options (Cimino 2017). [...] The calls to destigmatize this line of work by privileged providers may result in the legitimization of particular forms of sex work in which they engage, while leaving behind street-level providers without access to digital spaces or who do not enter sex work with similar levels of agency and choice. [...] Fowler’s research raises broader questions about the role of technology and the Internet in facilitating entry into additional forms of behaviors labeled deviant or criminal, the impact of digital spheres on agency and decision-making, and the interplay between stigma, privilege, and cultural and structural contexts related to other deviant acts. [...] The implications of this work extend beyond sex work, in particular, prompting further inquiries into the changing nature of deviance, the impact of technology on marginalized communities, and the potential for technological advancements to either broaden or constrain opportunities for different groups.