Also referred to as pornography, the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter can be traced back to the earliest of human history, preceding the written word. Today sexually explicit media includes a variety of types, including print media, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video, video games, applications for smart devices and virtual reality. Sexually explicit content can be incorporated into other types of media (TV shows, books, etc.) but is sometimes portrayed alone as a vehicle to elicit sexual arousal. Pornography tends to replicate systemic oppression present within our society.
For example, as an industry, similar to other media production, it has been dominated by men and tends to cater to “the male gaze.” Research has shown that men are disproportionately aroused by visual stimuli, and therefore media producers create content they assume men will pay for. Unfortunately, these industries tend to reinforce culturally-based stereotypes about gender, race, age, ability and more. Pornographic media content has become increasingly prevalent and available, particularly as a result of the volume of pornographic content made accessible via the Internet.
Many adolescents turn to sexually explicit media on the internet for sex education purposes, and the biggest website in the US for pornographic content, Pornhub, reported in 2017 that over half of their visitors were under the age of 34. In response, the website recently opened a free online tool, the Sexual Wellness Center for users to gain access to accurate sexuality information. In recent years, similar to other industries, there has also been a movement within this industry to create socially conscious sexually explicit media. For example, this article in GQ magazine on how to consume ethical porn, gives consumers some considerations around ethics.
Pornography use today is widespread. Whether you use pornography yourself or if it is something that you notice that friends or partners use, it can be important to consider the potential impacts.