Hookup Effect Of Pornography

The anonymity of the online platform also impacts the consequences of pornography. Specifically, “the feeling of anonymity promoted significantly more hostile sexist attitudes toward women” (Shim and Paul 2014). There is a reduction in self-awareness when viewers feel their viewing patterns are anonymous, which results in them seeking more extreme scenes (Shim and Paul 2014). The ability to watch pornography in private allows one to do so without being forced to comply with social norms (Shim and Paul 2014). According to the stimulus-reward perspective, the immediate psychological reward of pornography increases the likelihood that viewers will behave in ways that are deviant and antisocial in an effort to seek the same rewards (Shim and

The more often respondents viewed pornography, the more likely they were to engage in potentially riskier activities (Braithwaite et al. 2015). The most worrisome of these activities may be an increased likelihood of oral sex and intercourse for those who view pornography and participate in hookup encounters (Braithwaite et al. 2015).

Gender also played a role in the hookup effect of pornography. Female viewers were more likely to take on permissive sexual scripts when they were viewers of pornography (Braithwaite et al. 2015). Other gender-related side notes include men preferring hard-core themes in contrast to women’s soft-core preferences, and men finding pornography to be more sexually exciting and enhancing than women do (Braithwaite et al. 2015).

The negative impact of hooking up is worthy of note when considering it as a negative consequence of pornography. Hooking up can cause feelings of regret and false hopes of a future relationship (Braithwaite et al. 2015). Hookups can also include unprotected sex, which increases the likelihood of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy (Braithwaite et al.

Users often value the anonymity, sinking into the shadowy privacy of their personal computers or mobile devices. These tools give them access to an underground world of sexual activity that they may not have otherwise known existed. The result of this knowledge is not without consequence. Users of internet pornography experience the effects of addiction, similar to that of drug addicts, from both psychological and neurological perspectives. Viewers can experience changes in their desires and personality. Also impacted are the interpersonal relationships of viewers, which can be as official as marriage or as casual as a “hook up.” Some users have even developed a preference of viewing pornography over physical encounters with their partner.

Future research should explore what sexual behaviors are increasing in frequency as a result of pornography exposure. Behaviors that may have not otherwise been considered may be more common in sexual encounters due to their presence in pornographic videos. Another area worthy of exploration may be whether the use of protection in pornography influences the viewer’s likelihood of using contraceptive devices during sexual activity. Consequences of behaviors that may be rooted in the viewing of pornography will likely be seen over time. Those trends should be studied also. As society moves forward with the advances of technology, the consequences of pornography for the users