ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the voices of five young Bondage and Discpline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism (BDSM) practitioners discussing the development of their identities and the role of online pornography – and other texts – in that process. It presents some data from the perspective of young BDSM practitioners on their experiences of becoming BDSM and the role of online media in that process. The chapter offers young people's insights into the role of online materials in the formation of their BDSM identities. Online resources are still a major part of how young practitioners in Brisbane participate in the scene and there is a blend of online and offline interaction. The dominant model in academic research for thinking about the relationship between young people and online BDSM materials is the slippery slope argument, powerfully articulated by Zillmann and given new life for the Internet by writers like Doidge.
