Pornography and the Internet

The first thing that occurred to me when I decided to write a paper on internet pornography was, of course, the delightful Avenue Q song on the topic. The second thing was “Wow, am I really attempting to write a pro-porn paper as a guy in a Bryn Mawr gender studies class?” However, the research I did for this paper has shown me others who have convincingly argued in favor of pornography as something potentially valuable to women instead of damaging. In this essay, I will be building off of their work in an attempt to explore pornography, its face on the internet, and what its new shape means for both men and women.

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To begin, I’d like to offer a paraphrasing of Wendy McElroy‘s article “A Feminist Overview of Pornography — Ending in a Defense Thereof”. McElroy suggests that there are three types of feminist: the anti-porn feminist, who views pornography as an oppressive tool of the patriarchy; the liberal feminist, who does not condone or condemn pornography at all but opposes its censorship; and the pro-sex feminist, who sees some value in pornography. The pro-sex feminist shares with the liberal feminist the distrust of censorship (since the censor can often interpret censorship laws according to preference), but also suggest that porn can even benefit women. McElroy rejects the anti-porn feminist’s idea that pornography is degrading and violent; she says that a woman expressing herself sexually is not an act of degradation and that a voluntary participant in any act is not a victim of violence. Moreover, McElroy believes that porn can actually be valuable for women in that it can help them explore their sexuality, act out their fantasies, and be reminded that they are not alone in their sexual impulses. Though I do not agree with McElroy on all points – particularly with regards to anti-porn feminists, whom she claims are by definition antagonistic – her view of the benefits of pornography is useful.

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The second thread of this essay relates to the changes in pornography as a result of technology. Sexual and erotic depictions have been one of the primary uses of new technologies throughout history, and the internet is no exception. The internet is a place where it’s easy to set up business, and pornography has certainly found itself a market. According to a compilation of internet pornography statistics, internet pornography drew in $13.33 billion ($44.67 per capita) in 2006 in the United States alone (Ropelato). As such, it seems that internet pornography as an industry is likely safe from financial ruin for the foreseeable future.

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Then how does the internet alter the way porn is consumed? Two reasons why internet porn is more widespread than conventional pornography are that it’s largely free and that it’s dynamic. Because many sites get their revenue from ads that pay them simply for getting visitors – and different sites will bounce visitors back and forth between one another – it’s possible for some pornographic websites that don’t have subscription fees to sustain themselves on advertisements alone (Legon). There’s also an enormous variety of porn, as is to be expected. The oft-cited “Rule 34” states that “if it exists, there is porn of it,” and is sometimes taken to the extreme “if you can imagine it, there is porn of it,” at which point the imaginative mind is actually implicated in the creation of the pornographic work (whether or not it actually exists). The sheer volume of pornography on the internet also contributes to its variety; the statistics page linked earlier suggests that pornography makes up 12% of the internet (Ropelato), which may seem surprisingly small to some and yet still constitutes a respectable portion of webpages. Although no definition is given for what is meant by “pornography,” it is wholly possible that this is an underestimation. For example, if it refers only to sites that exist for the sake of profiting from pornography, then it omits the countless forums that exist for sharing it, for original trading, for posting and creating erotic writing, and probably other sites devoted to or referencing pornography as well. For those who dislike pornography, this is very bad news; however, for those interested in it, it is almost inevitable that, somewhere, there is pornography to cater to each specific interest. Whatever the kink, it’s quite probable that someone thought of it before.

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The key reasons why the internet is such a good place for pornography, however, are that it is accessible and anonymous. The internet is everywhere, and in this country its use among the younger generation is almost universal. The advantage of the internet is that it offers information of almost any kind freely to those who know how to search for it, and sexual material is no different. Anyone can have access to porn simply by knowing which sites to look at or what to type into search engines, and all it takes is an internet connection. Best of all, anonymity on the internet is nearly total. The discomfort attached to buying Playboys at the gas station or checking out a smut movie from the local video store is no longer necessary. A person can simply use their internet connection, a tool itself wholly innocent and undeserving of suspicion, to pull up whatever he or she wants to look at in complete privacy, and simply remembering to delete the browser history later is enough to ensure privacy for most purposes.

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To summarize my points thus far: pornography may in fact have benefits for both men and women, and pornography can be acquired anonymously, almost universally, and in whatever form desired. Given this, it is likely that the demographics associated with pornography consumption will change. Because of its availability, more people will consume it, and with greater frequency. Once thought of as a strictly male pastime, some statistics now say that as much as 28% of visitors to pornographic websites are female (Ropelato) – though again, what qualifies as “pornographic” is left unclear.

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The fact that demographics are broadening at all means that the people producing pornography are going to diversify it. This means different erotica, available in different ways. If, as McElroy argues, pornography is a good thing, then a greater variety in sexually explicit media means that more people will find it appealing and be able to benefit from it. Potentially, this could lead to a greater acceptance of the discussion of sexuality and pornography, too, which would be beneficial in producing pornography that was exciting without being insulting or degrading. If we are to believe that pornography is beneficial, then its greater availability is desirable.

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Pornography in its present form is certainly objectionable in many instances. That it panders to a very low denominator and at times insults the intellect of its audience is problematic. Further, with more pornographic websites where users submit homemade videos and pictures, it’s quite possible that participants were not informed that the media they star in would be put online. While the internet does not solve all of pornography’s problems – and introduces some new ones – it offers a chance for erotic material to mature, to reach a wider audience, and through greater social acceptance perhaps become something useful, rather than harmful, to human sexuality.

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Works Cited

Legon, Jeordan. “Sex sells, especially to Web surfers.” CNN.com. 11 December 2003. 5 March 2009. < http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/12/10/porn.business/>

McElroy, Wendy. “A feminist Overview of Pornography — Ending in a Defense Thereof.” WendyMcElroy.com. 5 May 2008. 5 March 2009. <http://www.wendymcelroy.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.31>

Ropelato, Jerry. “Internet Pornography Statistics.” TopTenREVIEWS. 5 March 2009. <http://www.internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html>