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ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Love in Cyberspace: Swedish Young People with Intellectual Disabilities and the Internet1

1. This article summarizes the results of a larger study published in Swedish (Löfgren-Mårtenson 2005).

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Pages 125-138
Published online: 16 May 2008
 

Abstract

The Internet has become an increasingly common way for people to contact each other, to flirt, fall in love and start relationships. How does this development influence today's young people with intellectual disabilities? The article presents a picture of the Internet experiences of some young adults with intellectual disabilities and discusses how others view this usage. It is based on a qualitative study in Sweden where 10 young people with intellectual disabilities and 12 staff members were interviewed. The interviews show that young people with intellectual disabilities also use the Internet, mainly for social and romantic reasons. They view the Internet as a positive arena where they can be “like everybody else” and therefore generally present themselves without mentioning their disabilities. However, people around them tend to worry considerably and focus mainly on the risks involved in this usage of the Internet.

Notes

1. This article summarizes the results of a larger study published in Swedish (Löfgren-Mårtenson 2005 Löfgren-Mårtenson , L. 2005 Kärlek.nu. Om Internet och unga med utvecklingsstörning (Love. Now. About Internet and Young People with Intellectual Disabilities, not available in English) (Lund: Studentlitteratur) . [Google Scholar]).

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