Internet+Pornography

By Austin Lee

**INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY** **Definition & Introduction** Internet pornography refers to any pornographic media content (words, images, audio, video, etc.) that is distributed through the Internet. Popular forms include peer-to-peer file sharing, blogs, video streaming sites, adult chat rooms, and pay-per-view sites. Great effort has also been spent to market porn to both men and women. Due to the increased popularity of the industry and ease of access, Internet pornography has become more pervasive and thus less guarded from children. As a result, potential developmental and family problems may arise. Some research also shows that use of Internet pornography can also affect sexual behavior.

[[image:061023_internet_porn.jpg width="288" height="216" caption="Internet pornography has become more and more pervasive (image from Associated Press)"]]
**Popularity & Statistics** Pornography in general is a highly lucrative industry, with annual revenues of around $98 billion worldwide. Internet pornography is among one of its fastest-growing subcategories. Some relevant statistics are as follows (Ropelato, 2006): ● According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2006 Internet pornography brought in around $2.8 billion in revenue in the U.S. alone. Worldwide industry is worth $4.9 billion. ● It is the second most profitable form of pornography, behind traditional video sales and rentals. ● An estimated 4.2 million websites contain pornography, which accounts for 12% of the total number of websites. ● Around 40 million U.S. adults regularly visit pornographic websites ● Top three consumers of pornography: China, United States, Japan ● 89% of all pornographic websites are from the U.S. ● Average age of first exposure to Internet pornography: 11

[[image:Screen_shot_2011-04-11_at_11.16.31_AM.png width="335" height="259" caption="Revenues of pornography in the U.S. by categories (image from toptenreviews.com)"]]
**Gender Differences** Men and women have different interests and priorities when it comes to pornography, which is why marketers can use specific strategies to sell pornographic content online. According to Kastleman (2009), men place their primary attention on the visuals and the physical aspects of sex. They seek pornography that involves anonymous women and casual sex, blocking out the emotional aspects such as love, intimacy and tenderness. Also, due to men’s testosterones, men are aroused by sexual acts where the males are the dominant and aggressive figure in the interaction. One other defining characteristic of male-oriented porn is the emphasis on body parts such as the breasts and the vagina. Thus marketers can utilize strategies such as placing extremely sexual and visually stimulating banner ads on webpages to attract male viewers. Once the viewer enters the site through the ad, he is greeted by a plethora of more explicit images and videos, all available at a click of a mouse. Instead of focusing on visuals, women place high priority on all senses as a whole. They are more sensitive the emotional aspects of the interaction, and thus tend to prefer porn content based on intimacy and mutual consent rather than body parts and domination. As a result, cybersex chatrooms become the ideal model to attract women because they are able to engage in innocent conversation with men to develop intimate (albeit artificial) relationships. They like to talk to men who are friendly and can listen to what they have to say, which can then lead to sexual interactions. **Effects on Sexual Behavior** One research suggests that an individual’s “access to Internet sexually explicit materials will condition the individual’s future sexual behavior (Fisher & Barak, 2001).” Their claim was largely based on an existing theory, the Sexual Behavior Sequence, by Byrne et al. According to the model, individuals who come into contact with sexually arousing stimuli for a sufficient amount of time are motivated to perform predatory sexual behavior, which increases the likelihood of overt sexual behavior. By applying this model to the consumption of Internet pornography, Fisher et al concluded that the positive or negative reaction resulted from exposure a specific sexual stimulus can //condition// and //form// a viewer’s actual sexual preferences and desires. In short, a person’s preferences of the types of sexual contents are strong predictors of his/her sexual behaviors. **Effects on Sexual Socialization and Behavior** It is estimated that 90% of youths between ages 12 to 18 have access to the Internet. With this level of accessibility, there is an increased concern for teens seeking pornographic materials online and its ramifications. One recent study by Ybarra et al seems to support the many negative consequences of early exposure to pornography. The results from their surveys show that with adolescents, over half of the respondents agree that exposure of Internet pornography may encourage young people to have sex earlier. About half of the respondents believe that it also promotes negative attitudes towards women and the idea that unprotected sex is “okay.” Use of pornography is also linked to greater sexual aggression for people who have predisposing risk levels towards aggressive and delinquent behaviors. (Ybarra, 2005) Perhaps a more intriguing finding in same literature is the relationship between Internet pornography and depression. Compared to “offline” pornography (e.g. magazines), teens that intentionally seek online explicit materials are more likely to report symptoms of major depression and poor emotional attachments to their caregivers. One possible explanation for this data is that it is easier to find online materials that are more explicit and thus more disturbing for the viewers. Central to these issues is the fact that teens are discovering these materials at a delicate time of their lives where their perceptions of sex are just beginning to take shape. Essentially, the younger the exposure, the greater these risks become. Therefore, appropriate control and healthy sexual education programs are possible means to successfully reduce these negative outcomes. **Effects on Child Development and Family** Early exposure to explicit materials online also affects child development. A study by Greenfield presented three major findings (Greenfield, 2004): 1. It influences sexual violence, sexual attitudes, moral values as well as sexual activities. 2. The growth of peer-to-peer file sharing networks has become more and more pervasive. This means that there is an increased amount of unexpected/unwanted exposures of pornographic images to minors 3. A healthy, warm and communicative family relationship is the most important tool parents can use to deal with the issue. Having an open communication about sex within the family can have a constructive influence on a child’s sexual socialization. Teaching children about these explicit media content and participating in their Internet surfing sessions are also good ways for parents to foster healthy psychological development.

[[image:internet_for.jpg width="222" height="367" caption="Appropriate parental control can help prevent children being misguided by explicit materials online (image from wired.com)"]]
Work Cited ● Fisher, W.A., & Barak, A. (2001). Internet pornography: a social psychological perspective on internet sexuality. //The Journal of Sex Research, 38//(4), 318-323 ● Greenfield, P.M. (2004). Inadvertent exposure to pornography on the internet: implication of peer-to-peer file-sharing networks for child development and families. //Science Direct,// 25(6), 741-750 ● Kastleman, M.B. (2009). //How internet pornographers market to man vs. woman.// Retrieved from [|http][|://][|www][|.][|netnanny][|.][|com][|/][|learn][|_][|center][|/][|article][|/117] ● Ropelato. J. (2006). //Internet pornography statistics.// Retrieved from [|http][|://][|internet][|-][|filter][|-][|review][|.][|toptenreviews][|.][|com][|/][|internet][|-][|pornography][|-][|statistics][|.][|html] ● Ybarra, M.L., & Mitchell, K.J. (2005). Exposure to internet pornography among children and adolscents: a national survey. //Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 8//(5), 473-485 Image citations ● [|http][|://][|internet][|-][|filter][|-][|review][|.][|toptenreviews][|.][|com][|/][|internet][|-][|pornography][|-][|statistics][|.][|html] ● [|http][|://][|www][|.][|wired][|.][|com][|/][|images][|_][|blogs][|/][|gadgetlab][|/][|internet][|_][|for][|.][|jpg] ● [|http][|://][|media][|.][|komonews][|.][|com][|/][|images][|/061023_][|internet][|_][|porn][|.][|jpg]