Queer Cultures in Digital Asia| Attention Economy, Neoliberalism, and Homonormative Masculinity in Amateur Gay Porn Circuits on Twitter: The Case of Manila and Hong Kong

Abstract

Twitter is a popular digital space for circulating amateur gay porn and sexual narratives of gay men. These two-minute porn videos command thousands of views, and their anonymous owners boast thousands of followers. This paper investigates how attention economies work within a neoliberal framework in porn economies in Manila and Hong Kong. Using interviews and case studies, this paper argues that the conditions created by Twitter foster a particular kind of attention economy where users are expected to be creative and entrepreneurial in curating their profiles and presenting their pornographic content. This research argues that it is within these neoliberal spaces that gay men find the freedom to socialize, build communities, and inventively present themselves. The paper ends by offering insights into how we can think about the utility of pornography and sexualized self-presentation in queer sexual politics in the Asian context.