In chapter 11, I was shocked to see a section describing how pornography has furthered technological advances. When it comes down to the details, the thesis has a lots of support.
The essay goes all the way back to the Gutenberg press arguing that a book about sexual positions and another about various sexual stories were two of the most prolifically produced texts. Almost every medium has fostered a development in pornography.
Next came the development of the paperback book which was created on cheap paper products. These texts were frequently pornography and erotica (Zimmer and Hunter go so far as to argue that variations on this are now found in modern supermarkets).
Next came porn photography during the Civil War where the "soldiers sought more than just letters from home" (187). Then came pay-per-view cable, videotaped pornography, and finally internet pornography.
The internet has provided its users with instant access to information, music, videos, and pornography as well. Every new medium brings with it advantages in positive and negative ways and the internet is no different. It has brought about changes in all forms. Communications and Cyberspace states that internet pornography is now a $1 billion business and pornography as a whole is $56 billion.
The question is, is this a good thing? Many people argue that the internet has brought with it great advances and major downfalls. Opinions?
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ReplyDeletePornography has certainly been a hot button topic, especially after the internet allowed its flourishing at such an incredible rate. The most suprising part which I found wasn't really discussed in the argument is pornography's placement in our society. It was only discussed as a by product but in reality, it has become such a large business that they even asked for federal bailout money because, shockingly or not, it is a very large part of our economy. My opinion is that indecent material online is a risk for children but if they don't go looking for it, I think they'll be alright. I don't understand the huge issue that is made out of it. I was most stunned by the percentages of non-objective material in the studies presented too.
ReplyDeletePornography has been the content of just about every new technology that's come along, and I suppose Sigmund Freud provides an adequate explanation of why that might be. What is quite significant is the mainstreaming of pornography in recent years, which seems to have some connection to the internet.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how vital pornography became for the internet. I was under the impression that the internet would have many and many priorities over pornography... Sex does sell apparently.
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised by this chapter was well, but I guess it completely makes sense. The pornography industry is surprisingly large and the availability on the internet is continuously overwhelming. Type one wrong word or add one wrong letter to a website address and there is a high chance you may end up somewhere that you do not want to. Just like alcohol websites, many porn websites try to keep underage children away by providing a cover page. Though many people think it unnecessary, considering the number of pornographic sites we can just stumble upon, I think it is a great way to protect the youth.
ReplyDeleteI may have to disagree with Sarah on her concept of protecting the youth from porn sites. Over the years, porn sites have implemented cover pages to prevent young children from entering the sites, but they have just taking minimal measures. One prevention has been a verification of age, but a small child may already understand that he can access the sites if he just lies. Therefore, children may still encounter and view the material on the many porn sites.
ReplyDeleteWill's post is interesting because it shows how pornography has touched every facet of media. Pornography has become an enormous industry and people are always trying to find new ways and new mediums to tap into, in order to gain some profit.