Porn's Prominent Place

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?