Challenging imaginaries

young adults’ mediated practices in mobile applications

Abstract

Considering the specific group of young adults in Portugal, the article aims to understand if and how mobile applications interfere with gender identities and sexual practices. The methodological approach adopted is quantitative, operationalised through a questionnaire survey to a representative sample (N=1500) of young people (18-30 years old). The results indicate that sexual orientation influences behaviours related to intimacy and imaginaries of sexual and gender identities. Regarding the way in which mobile applications are incorporated into daily life, the relevance of gender is observed with 66.2% of the participants designating gender in the applications and 37.9% affirming that this is the representation of their identity. The results also show that 19.2% of those interviewed mention that there is no option for the gender they identify with, so it is possible to infer that digital interfaces may limit or impose normative imaginaries.