The Problems with Porn

“And whether or not one believes that sex is sacred, it is hard to deny that the porn industry has commodified sex in ways that rid it of all that made it human.”

We need to talk about porn. Yes, it might get uncomfortable. And no, it will not be fun. But we have put this off for far too long. It is time.

Let us start with the facts. Porn has gone mainstream. In 2014, Pornhub alone had 78 billion page views, and XVideos became the 56th most popular website in the world. Studies show that, given the ease with which one can access porn in the Internet age, the average age that a boy first sees porn today is 11, and, by age 15, most teenagers have watched it. Only the Amish seem capable of escaping its clutches (and this is only speculation).

Moreover—and this is really important—porn is not what it was a few decades ago. In fact, it is nothing like it. Long are the days of pin-up girls, nude mags, and feature length films with poor—yet real—attempts at acting. Today’s par for the course makes Hugh Hefner’s taste both antiquarian and prudish. We have entered the era of “Tube” sites, where what would have lived on the hardcore fringes only a few years ago has become commonplace. For those who want to know the gory details I recommend this TedX talk by Gail Dines. For everyone else, I will just say this: Due to the internal logic of porn consumption, ever-new forms of sexual objectification, violence, and brutality have become a staple of the average browsing experience.

The long and short of it is that today’s porn is unlike any other. So we should treat it accordingly.