ABSTRACT
Chapter 7, ‘Adultery, love and social networking’, explores adultery in relationships and in its representation in the media. The chapter examines the significance of adultery in the twenty-first century and assesses whether it carries the same moral significance as in the past. The chapter examines the role gender plays in adultery and whether women’s role in relationships has changed. The chapter also examines how adultery is represented in a number of high-profile Hollywood films. The chapter reviews a range of different perspectives, including sociological, psycho-analytical, feminist and historical perspectives. David Turner’s historical analysis of adultery, Fashioning Adultery: Gender, Sex and Civility in England, 1660–1740 shows significant gendered discourses around adultery. The chapter also examines contemporary theoretical analysis through the concept of ‘spouse-busting’, as well as the relationship between relationships and precarity. Finally, the chapter explores the case of Ashley Madison in the US, where the hacking of the website revealed the fact that many of the claimed subscribers were ‘bots’.
