Hey Green Team. Let me hear you scream! Whew!! I didn’t hear anyone scream, but it’s fine because we are still totally the coolest blog group ever. I am Mathew Birnbaum and I am a junior Communications major, minoring in AEM—I know, shocking, right? I am from Long Island and no I have never called it strong Island and I really dislike the bad rap Long GIIIIslanders get. Why can’t we all just get along? I love all movies and love watching stand up comedy and comedic shows in general. I have been given the completely useless and ridiculous talent of being able to memorize and recite lines from anything humorous—shows, movies, standup—only after watching it one or two times. This talent has gotten me nowhere in life and tends to really irritate my friends, family, and anyone who is within an earshot distance from me. This is a quick shout-out for anyone who likes Flight of the Concords; I can do a near perfect rendition of Jenny specializing specifically in Jermaine’s voice. For anyone who doesn’t know of the show, I probably just sounded like a complete freak; Sorry.
As you can tell by my title, I sometimes have been known to cross the line. I don’t do it intentionally, it just kind of happens—or maybe I do it unconsciously, I truly do not know. Regardless, it is verrrry relevant to my internet phenomenon which is….drum roll… Internet Pornography. I feel like this topic is often overlooked, perhaps because it’s not really on the top of anyone minds (or at least that’s what everyone wants everyone else to think). Sex is undeniably a huge aspect of life and I think people who disagree with this or try to diminish sex’s influence in many of life’s little nuances are completely ignorant; without sex, there is no life. With the advent of the internet, pornography has been able to develop and evolve in ways never thought possible. Once, the only way to see a “lewd” photograph consisting merely of a woman’s exposed ankle was to put a penny in a metal contraption that if cranked, would kind of simulate motion. Now, you can type in the keyword sandbox into a tool bar and, no joke, and somehow get several thousand hits from pornographic websites. And it doesn’t end there. If you were to click on just one of these sites—not that I have ever done such an obscene act—computer software designed purely to make your life difficult will activate, creating several dozen other pop ups on your screen to other pornographic sites; some related, some very, verryyy unrelated. This new world of Internet porn exposes millions and millions of people to new sects and fetishes of porn that never even existed several years ago. I would be very surprised if this “pornographic revolution” with the introduction of the Internet has had no effects on our culture and society and I would like to explore these potential effects. This phenomenon, according to Ms. Wallace, falls under the online space of the World Wide Web, because the Internet, in concerns with porn, is predominantly being used as a library of sorts. However, as the Internet has continued to grow, both asynchronous and synchronous discussion forums and even interactive video and voice online spaces have become available. So long for now and beware of those pestering ad ware/spy ware pornographic website pop ups, because if you’re not careful, they’ll get you, O, they’ll get you alright.
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4 comments:
I’m glad someone talked about this, because I certainly opted out. Thanks for breaking the ice for me Mathew (or Mat/Matt?). I agree that not only the overwhelming presence of porn on the Internet, but also its aggressive and invasive means of getting your attention, can be maddening. To address your question regarding the psychological impacts of porn’s presence on the Web, I think we can all attest to its effects by looking at the changing social norms pertaining to sex. Good examples include the assimilation into the mainstream of anal sex, BDSM, and foot fetish, as well as the recent “anonymous sex” epidemic, currently coming to light in the homosexual community (but also present in the heterosexual community). The combination of porn’s presence on the web, its accessibility, and the anonymous and lawless nature associated with the Internet have helped to make people feel more comfortable about their quirky fetishes. It doesn’t stop there. Within their pornographic communities people begin to feel reassured that their interests are normal, leading people to become more open outside of their fetish communities, spilling into a host of other places on the Web, and, eventually, into real life.
Hey Matt- you would write about porn. Just kidding! Anyways, I felt you had some very valid points, especially towards the end of your blog. Online pornography has exposed several people, unnecessarily to scantily clothed subjects and sexual acts. However, I recently read that this accessible pornography is thought to have contributed to the decrease in rape victim numbers. Because those people who would feel inclined to rape or fulfill other perverse sexual fantasies with unwilling victims are now being offered a relatively safe outlet for this behavior. They can get their "fix" virtually and continue to live their daily lives without harming the innocent.
Additionally, I believe that online pornography can definitely become an addiction, in turn harming family structures and lifestyles. Unfortunately, with viewing online pornography being such an accessible, anonymous, synchronis or asynchronis format for sexual pleasure, viewers are continually drawn to it. For some, it becomes an unfortunate habit.
I'm not sure what the solution to online pornography is. I do not think it should be banned, but I empathize with those who have fallen under its tempting wing. I do believe that ads containing pornography be banned from, as Matt says, popping up on completely "unrelated" sites. That is inappropriate and like television should be saved for certain "channels" and times.
That's all for me. :-)
Hey Matt?,
Good job on breaking the silence on what i would have thought would be a very popular topic to talk about since its so prevalent everywhere on the internet.
As to the psychological effect of it, I agree with Melissa whole heartedly.
I definitely felt that you brought up great points in describing internet pornography, however I think you missed out on the fact that Internet Pornography is not only constricted to the world wide web. People share porn files on peer-to-peer networks. Many porn sites send out spam mail. And last but not least, many Usenet newsgroups deal with Internet pornography as well.
Online porn- vile and disturbing or a cultural phenomenon? I guess it depends your individual point of view. But either way, I completely agree that porn is all over the internet. Wherever you look, you can and probably will stumble upon some sort of internet porn. It can be viewed as a problem by parents who are worried about the easy accessibility of porn because of their young children. I remember the huge catastrophe that ensued after my brother received a graphic email a few years back. My mother nearly had a heart attack, and my father almost killed someone from America Online. But at the same time, how can internet porn be limited? I am sure a lot of people would feel better if porn became less accessible to the general public, but with the tremendous and still expanding breadth of the internet, I do not think this is possible.
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