Market, mobilities, and experiences from the perspective of sex workers from the online

Abstract

This article is part of a broader research project that investigated male sex work through online dating platforms, such as websites and instant messaging applications.The ways of engaging in and thinking about sex work have been changing with the popularization of new technologies and in light of new forms of relationships. As a result, the locations have expanded, and the types of services offered by sex workers have diversified. In this perspective, given the increasingly complex national scenario, this study aims to understand the particularities and similarities that constitute the sex markets in Campo Grande (MS). To this end, from the perspective of the interlocutors, we analyze the process of circulation, transit, and mobilities of these sex workers in the context of the local market and the flow of these workers to other national markets. This research began in 2020 and was completed in 2023. In terms of methodology, we developed a qualitative ethnographic research approach, with online observations, informal conversations, and semi-structured interviews. Finally, the analytical perspective in the article focuses on tensions, strategies, and articulations among social markers of difference.