Pornography
Pornography (colloquially known as porn or porno) has been defined as sexual subject material "such as a picture, video, or text" that is intended for sexual arousal.[a] Intended for consumption by adults, pornography depictions have evolved from cave paintings, some forty millennia ago, to virtual reality presentations. A general distinction of adult content is made classifying it as pornography or erotica.
"Porn" redirects here. For other uses, see Porn (disambiguation) and Pornography (disambiguation).
The oldest artifacts considered pornographic were discovered in Germany in 2008 CE and are dated to be at least 35,000 years old.[b] Throughout the history of erotic depictions various people made attempts to suppress them under obscenity laws, censor, or make them illegal. Such grounds and even the definition of pornography have differed in various historical, cultural, and national contexts. The Indian Sanskrit text Kama Sutra (3rd century CE) contained prose, poetry, and illustrations regarding sexual behavior, and the book was celebrated; while the British English text Fanny Hill (1748), considered "the first original English prose pornography," has been one of the most prosecuted and banned books. In the late 19th century, a film by Thomas Edison that depicted a kiss was denounced as obscene in the United States, whereas Eugène Pirou's 1896 film Bedtime for the Bride was received very favorably in France. Starting from the mid-twentieth century on, societal attitudes towards sexuality became more lenient in the Western world where legal definitions of obscenity were made limited. In 1969, Blue Movie became the first film to depict unsimulated sex that received a wide theatrical release in the United States. This was followed by the "Golden Age of Porn" (1969–1984). The introduction of home video and the World Wide Web in the late 20th century led to global growth in the pornography business. Beginning in the 21st century, greater access to the Internet and affordable smartphones made pornography more mainstream.
Pornography has been vouched to provision a safe outlet for sexual desires that may not be satisfied within relationships and be a facilitator of sexual release in people who do not have a partner. It has been equated with journalism, as both offer a view into the unknown or the hidden aspects. Pornography use is considered a widespread recreational activity in-line with other digitally mediated activities such as use of social media or video games.[c] Motivations for pornography use may include fantasy, habitual use, mood management, or as part of a relationship. People who regard porn as sex education material were identified as more likely not to use condoms in their own sex life, thereby assuming a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs); performers working for pornographic studios undergo regular testing for STIs unlike much of the general public. Comparative studies indicate higher tolerance and consumption of pornography among people tends to be associated with their greater support for gender equality, whereas another review which compiled evidence from other empirical sources such as surveys found that representations of women in pornography may lead adolescent boys to view women as sexual objects, with disregard and disrespect for gender equality. Among feminist groups, some seek to abolish pornography believing it to be harmful, while others oppose censorship efforts insisting it is benign. A longitudinal study had ascertained that pornography use is not a predictive factor in intimate partner violence.[d] Porn Studies, which began in 2014, is the first international peer-reviewed, academic journal dedicated to critical study of "products and services" deemed pornographic.
Pornographic websites rank among the top 50 most visited websites worldwide. Called an "erotic engine", pornography has been noted for its key role in the development of various communication and media processing technologies. For being an early adopter of innovations and as a provider of financial capital, the pornography industry has been cited to be a contributing factor in the adoption and popularization of media related technologies. The accurate economic size of the porn industry in the early twenty-first century is unknown. In 2015, estimates of the worldwide market value stood at US$97 billion, with the US revenue valued at $10 to $12 billion. The US revenue was estimated to have reached at least US$3.3 billion in 2020. Pornography in Japan was estimated to be worth over $20 billion in 2018. The US pornography industry employs numerous performers along with production and support staff, and has its own industry-specific publications: XBIZ and AVN; a trade association, the Free Speech Coalition; a labour union, Adult Performer Advocacy Committee; and award shows, XBIZ Awards and AVN Awards. From the mid 2010s, unscrupulous pornography such as deepfake pornography and revenge porn have become issues of concern.
Etymology and definition
The word pornography is a conglomerate of two ancient Greek words: πόρνος (pórnos) "fornicators",
and γράφειν (gráphein) "writing, recording, or description".[1] In Greek language, the term pornography connotes depiction of sexual activity;[2] no date is known for the first use of the term pornography, the earliest attested, most related word found is πορνογράφος (pornographos) i.e. "someone writing about harlots" in the 3rd century CE work Deipnosophists by Athenaeus.[3][4]
The oldest published reference to the word pornography as in 'new pornographie,' is dated back to 1638 and is credited to Nathaniel Butter in a history of the Fleet newspaper industry.[5] The modern word pornography entered the English language as the more familiar word in 1842 via French "pornographie," from Greek "pornographos".[6]
The term porn is an abbreviation of pornography.[2] The related term πόρνη (pórnē) "prostitute" in Greek, originally meant "bought, purchased" similar to pernanai "to sell", from the proto-Indo-European root per-, "to hand over" — alluding to act of selling.[2]
The word pornography was originally used by classical scholars as "a bookish, and therefore inoffensive term for writing about prostitutes",[7] but its meaning was quickly expanded to include all forms of "objectionable or obscene material in art and literature".[7] In 1864, Webster's Dictionary published "a licentious painting" as the meaning for pornography,[7] and the Oxford English Dictionary: "obscene painting" (1842), "description of obscene matters, obscene publication" (1977 or earlier).[8]
Definitions for the term "pornography" are varied, with people from both pro- and anti-pornography groups defining it either favorably or unfavourably, thus making any definition very stipulative.[9][10][11] Nevertheless, academic researchers have defined pornography as sexual subject material "such as a picture, video, or text" that is primarily intended to assist sexual arousal in the consumer, and is created and commercialized with "the consent of all persons involved".[a] Arousal is considered the primary objective, the raison d'etre a material must fulfill for it to be treated as pornographic.[14] As some people can feel aroused by an image that is not meant for sexual arousal and conversely cannot feel aroused by material that is clearly intended for arousal, the material that can be considered as pornography becomes subjective.[14]
Classification and commercialism
Adult content classifications
A distinction is often made regarding adult content classifying it as either pornography or erotica.[139] Considerations of distinctness between erotica and pornography is mostly subjective.[15] Pornographic content is generally classified as either softcore or hardcore.[114] Softcore pornography contains depictions of nudity but without explicit depiction of sexual activity.[114] Hardcore pornography contains explicit depiction of sexual activity.[140] Hardcore porn is more regulated than softcore porn.[140] Softcore porn was popular between the 1970s and 1990s.[141]
Views on pornography
General
Pornography has been vouched to provide a safe outlet for sexual desires that may not be satisfied within relationships and be a facilitator of sexual release in people who cannot or do not want to have real-life partners.[176] Pornography is viewed by people in general for various reasons; varying from a need to enrich their sexual arousal, to facilitate orgasm, as an aid for masturbation, learn about sexual techniques, reduce stress, alleviate boredom, enjoy themselves, see representation of people like themselves, know their sexual orientation, improve their romantic relationships, or simply because their partner wants them to.[202] Researchers suggest four broad motivations for using pornography, namely: "using pornography for fantasy, habitual use, mood management, and as part of a relationship".[202]
Men are found to consume pornography more frequently than women, with the intent for consumption that may vary with men more likely to use pornography as a stimulant for sexual arousal during solitary sexual activity, while women are more likely to use pornography as a source of information or entertainment, and rather prefer using it together with a partner to enhance sexual stimulation during partnered sexual activity.[12] Studies have found that sexual functioning defined as "a person's ability to respond sexually or to experience sexual pleasure" is greater in women who consume pornography frequently than in women who do not. No such association was noticed in men.[12] Women who consume pornography are more likely to know about their own sexual interests and desires, and in turn be willing and able to communicate them during partnered sexual activity, it has been reported that in women the ability to communicate their sexual preferences is associated with greater sexual satisfaction for themselves.[12] Pornographic material is found to expand the sexual repertoire in women by making them learn new rewarding sexual behaviours such as clitoral stimulation and enhance their overall 'sexual flexibility'.[12] Women who consume pornography frequently are more easily aroused during partnered sex and are more likely to engage in oral sex compared to the women who do not view pornography.[12] Women users of pornography had reported (almost 50%) to have had engaged in cunnilingus, which research suggests is related to female orgasm, and to have had experienced orgasms more frequently than women who do not use pornography (87% vs. 64%).[202] Most people, probably do not consider pornography use by a partner as indulging in infidelity.[257]
A two year long survey (2018-2020) conducted to assess the role of pornography in the lives of highly educated medical university students, with median age of 24, in Germany found that pornography served as an inspiration for many students in their sex life.[133] Pornography use among students was higher in males than in females, among the male students those who did not cheat on their partner or contracted an STI were found to be more frequent consumers of pornography. Although pornography use was more common among men, associations between pornography use and sexuality were more apparent in women.[133] Among the female students, those who reported to be satisfied with their physical appearance have consumed three times as much pornography than the female students who had reported to be dissatisfied with their body. A feeling of physical inadequacy was found to be a restraining factor in the consumption of pornography. Female students who consume pornography more often had reported to have had multiple sexual partners.[133] Both female and male students who enjoyed the experience of anal intercourse in their life were reported to be frequent consumers of pornography. Sexual content depicting bondage, domination, or violence was consumed by only a minority of 10%. More sexual openness and less sexual anxiety was observed in students who regularly consumed pornography. No association was noticed between regular pornography use and experience of sexual dissatisfaction in either female or male students. This finding was in concurrence with another finding from a longitudinal study, which demonstrated most pornography consumers differentiate pornographic sex from real partnered sex and do not experience diminishing satisfaction in their sex life.[133]