The latest statistics show that the influence of pornography on the internet is going down. Apparently, social sites like Hi5 overtook porn and became the most widely visited type of sites on the internet. Clearly, this is a good thing. Not because I have anything against porn (I just don’t like it) but because I’m tired of people who know nothing about the internet throwing snide remarks my way about the internet and its users, remarks like, “All the internet is good for is free porn. “Howev
er, what do these statistics mean? The answer depends on what school of thought you subscribe to.
Some see porn as an infectious virus that always spreads first and fast to new technology. In this theory, porn spread and thrived on the internet because the internet was new technology. Now that the internet has matured, somewhat, and it is difficult to call it ‘new’, other uses can be found for it. Porn sort of ‘tested the waters’ of the internet.
The other viewpoint is far more radical. Why are social sites surpassing porn? That’s simple – porn is now social. The makers of porn have realized the power in the social internet and focused their energy on harnessing that power. It doesn’t take much to see the logic in this theory. Myspace is full of ‘spaces’ that openly promote ‘actresses’ and ‘models’ from the adult industry. Moreover, sites like pornotube(DISCLAIMER: yes that’s an ADULT youtube clone) fall under the ‘social’ category as well as porn.
I don’t know which theory holds more water. I suspect the truth is a mix of the two theories. What do you think? Check out this collection of blog posts on sex and the internet.
The real question, however, is: “Why does porn thrive on the internet?” First off, people love sex so it will always sell, internet or no internet. Secondly, it is very easy to charge people for porn. See, charging you to read this blog is a whole lot more difficult than charging you to see pictures of my naked neighbors, for example. I suspect porn is probably the easiest way to make money on the internet (of course there’s a LOT of competition so it may not be that easy.)
At this point, I’d like to throw in my own two cents’ worth of opinion but I’ll first give you some information to lay the foundation of my point of view:
- The following is an interview with I recently had with an internet ‘cam girl’: INTERVIEW
- A Yahoo! Answers survey on internet cam girls – be sure to read the comments, which were left by an actual cam girl.
There’s always going to be girls who want money and will do anything for it. Before the internet, such girls did exist. Probably, the ‘game plan’ then was to go into prostitution. After a while on the streets, they would get pimps. After this, the pimp would probably introduce the girl to the adult film industry and we’d get porn on VHS. Of course, I know next to nothing about prostitution and the making of porn actresses so I may be wrong.
Enter the internet. Girls gone wild still exist, so what changed? Well, now we have geeks gone wild. For any true geek, it’s fairly simple to set up a porn website (the hardest thing, indeed, is getting the site’s ‘content’). Add to this equation youth, a need for money, and the fact that porn is easy to monetize and you have geeks turned pimps. The girl doesn’t need to hit the streets anymore – all she needs to get paid is a tech-savvy geek to set her up on his site, stream her cam live or whatever. All a techie needs is a few willing girls and voila! there’s a new porn website. It’s that easy!
Think about it. A few guys in college who know a little (or a lot) about computers and the internet want some extra cash. One of the guys knows a few girls who can do anything for some money. Assuming that both the guys and the girls are low on moral fiber, you’ll get porn eventually – maybe a few hidden cameras at first but, with time, it will graduate to the usual hardcore stuff.
So that’s it: girls gone wild, geeks gone wild, and the internet. Porn just skyrocketed and the whole thing went viral.
Personally, I don’t like porn but I’m not trying to lash out at anyone, trying to stop them – that would be futile. Everyone’s free to do whatever they see fit, right?
Aco has been blogging a lot about sex lately, so here are some related links:
Race, Relationships, and Other Things…
Problems, Powers and Porn…
Shield, Sad Secrets and Sex.
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