Advice on life? Online fan forums as a space for peer-to-peer sex and relationships education

Previous research has pointed to the potential of entertainment media as a source of informal sex education for young people. New social media may offer additional potential in this respect. In this article, we consider the pedagogical possibilities and limitations of online fan forums, via a case study of the forums of the controversial British teen drama series Skins. We analyse discussions of the realism of the series’ representation of teenage life, and of specific issues (virginity, attractiveness and gay sexuality). We compare participants’ discussions of their own experiences – in a section of the forum entitled ‘advice on life’ – with their discussions of the series and the characters. We find that the presentation of issues to do with sexuality sometimes challenges young people to engage in debate, and to move beyond established discourses. However, the value of the series in this respect depends crucially on its ‘openness’ – that is, its avoidance of fixed moral positions – and on its perceived plausibility and authenticity. The forum emerges as a new space for nonformal, peer-to-peer education that has limitations as well as new pedagogical possibilities.

The research approach is broadly ‘social constructionist’ and ‘discursive’. As evidence has shown, the programme provides a pretext for discussions about real life – for sharing and debating ‘advice about life’. In some respects, the discussions among fans tend to be more considered, and less superficial, than discussions of the programme itself.