This paper results from online research on aspects of male sexuality and, more precisely, about male interactions within new contexts of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It seeks to discuss the possibilities of the internet as a research field, considering the sociocultural issues that are opened up by new information technologies. This is the case of the practice of barebacking, which is generally defined as intentional unprotected anal sex. More specifically, this paper raises questions about some tensions and conceptual ambiguities of barebacking, especially regarding unprotected sex between steady partners and between casual partners, according to discussions developed by some users of Orkut communities, within the Brazilian context. Finally, it is highlighted that the players who say that they are barebackers are not necessarily so, but neither do they understand the concept in the same way, which requires broader reflection about such communities' different users and contexts of use.
Internet; Sexuality; Homosexuality male; Unsafe sex; Acquiride Immunodeficiency Syndrome; HIV