Complexities of the intersection between commercial sex and the demand for sex trafficking: A critical discourse analysis of the online posts of men from 4 Midwest cities

Sex trafficking (ST) causes devastating physical and mental harm to women. Our understanding of the intersection between ST and the commercial sex (CS) industry remains unclear.  While there is little empirical research that connects ST and the CS industry, the underground nature of and blurred boundaries between ST and CS impedes mounting an effective strategy to combat ST. Purpose: This study describes how the postings of 4 Midwest cities in the USA Sex Guide (SG), an online forum for men interested in CS, construct a sociocultural context for elements of ST via postings that endorse force, fraud, and coercion of women. Methods: A content analysis was conducted. The results were interpreted using critical discourse analysis (CDA). CDA explores the dominant discourse of ideologies that can lead to acceptability of a given phenomenon.  CDA was used to isolate and examine how participants shape discourse by limiting responses and thus systematizing thought. Results: Echoing notions were identified and thematically organized to explicate the dominant discourse present on the USA SG. Blatant indicators of ST (i.e. drugs/alcohol and the presence of youth and pimps) along with subtle embedded discursive patterns are presented. Dialogues that groom men/buyers and raise acceptability of exploiting vulnerability were merged to form a dominant discourse. Discussion/Conclusions: This study provides researchers and policy makers with a lens from the men’s/buyers’ perspective that better informs the debate about public health harms related to CS; thus, our understanding of ST is illuminated and our ability to combat ST is enhanced.