Golden Age Of Porn Essay

Pornography is defined as ‘predominantly sexually explicit and intended primarily for the purpose of sexual arousal’ (McManus 8). Pornography can range from pictures, written material, and videos. There are also different genres of pornography to cater to different audiences.

Before the Internet came about, it was harder to access such materials, and were typically available in “adult stores, through X-rated video rentals, and on some newsstands” (Castleman, How Does Internet Porn Affect Teens -- Really?”). The inception of the worldwide web has caused what is known as the “Golden Age of Porn”, and accessibility of pornography has surged. Millions of sexually explicit photos and videos are available, and free to everyone (Castleman, “How

A study conducted amongst 471 Dutch teenagers aged 13 – 18 years old found that the more often teenagers looked up pornography on the internet, the more likely they are to have a casual attitude towards sexual intercourse, and view it as “a purely physical function like eating or drinking” (DeAngelis, Web pornography’s effect on children”).

Additionally, 529 Greek adolescents involved in a cross-sectional study exploring the potential repercussions of pornography consumption yielded results that implied that adolescents who were exposed to pornographic content may form “unrealistic attitudes about sex, and misleading attitudes towards relationships” (Tsitsika et al. 549).

It was also found that consumption of pornography can lead to teens perceiving relationships to mean nothing, and “immediate sexual gratification to mean everything” (Katehakis, “Effect of Porn on Adolescent Boys”). It can lead to teenage consumers, primarily males, creating an unrealistic impression of sexuality and relationships, hence creating expectations “that can never be fulfilled” (Katehakis, “Effect of Porn on Adolescent

There are many ways pornography can affect the perception of body image of a teenager, be it themselves or other people. Pornography mainly impacts the self-esteem, and can also set an unrealistic expectation of the human body to others.

Pornography has been linked to the damaging of sex lives between couples. It has been found that 1 in 5 men prefer to turn to pornography for sexual arousal rather than sleep with their partners (Waugh, “Men Who Look At Porn”), and this can cause the sex lives of these couples to suffer as their significant others might feel sexually inadequate.

When women thought their partners were heavy porn users or addicts, it would have a “negative impact on their self-esteem, and general sexual satisfaction” (Waugh, “Men Who Look At Porn”). An online survey which involved 1,062 female respondents who discovered their partner’s pornography-watching habits reported feeling “tremendous amounts of fear and anxiety” (Skinner, “How Porn Really Affects Relationships”). There tends to be a negative impact on women which leads to her feeling sexually insecure with her partner, and can impact their future relationships, whether sexual or