A new book says there is a growing audience for Internet pornography. Australian author Catharine Lumby told The Daily Telegraph that her book, The Porn Report, breaks down several myths about pornography and women.
"One of the myths (about pornography) suggests that women aren't consumers but we have very clear evidence that there's a growing proportion of porn consumers who are women," she said. "The statistics are so high now that that (that myth) doesn't seem correct."
Ms. Lumby conducted the study over three years. Her research showed that although men still outnumber women 4 to 1 as porn consumers, the difference is getting smaller. She also noted the growing trend of homemade pornography. More and more women are creating and posting their own pornography on the Internet. "A lot of women appearing in pornography are not doing it for commercial gain, they're doing it because they're exhibitionists. They make material either by themselves or with partners and put it up on the internet, and there's been a huge growth in that."
Ms. Lumby said the Internet plays an integral role in these trends. "It's very clear that what's driven this is technology. Technology has made viewing much more domesticated - you can be watching a DVD on your laptop so you can have some privacy."
Questions still abound. Are women feeling pressured to "accept" pornography or normalize it in order to please men? Would people engage in these behaviors if they couldn't hide behind the anonymity of the Internet? How many realize the long-term ramifications of posting such content on the Internet? Adults are certainly free to make their own choices - but these trends are particularly disturbing when they extend to children.
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