Quiz: Pornography and Erotica

The word pornography derives from the Greek terms for prostitute
and to write. Literally translated, it means depictions of acts of
prostitutes (Linz & Malamuth, 1993).
the issue of taste, in which morality is confused and used
interchangeably with decency and obscenity; and the issue of gender.
The debate surrounding definition is almost as complex as those about
censorship and effects, for a good reasonbecause we need to know
what is supposed to cause what, and what to ban, if anything.
Erotica, which implies a degree of artistry or good taste in the
depiction of sex and nudity. Many researchers in the area have
preferred other terms altogether, such as sexually explicit materials
Smith (1976), for instance, defined pornography as any material that
is sexually explicit in referring to or visually depicting male and female
anatomy (p. 16), which would include sex education manuals and
erotic scenes in mainstream cinema
the terms softcore and hardcore are used to distinguish between

nonviolent erotica and sadomasochistic material and other specialist

genres (including child pornography).

Martin Amis (2001) reported on the contemporary U.S. market, in

which the defining terms are features and Gonzo: The former
indicates a standard film narrative, with plots, characters, and so on;
the latter is used to describe material that is unstructured sexual
activity, mostly involving anal and oral sex, or fetishism.

intention to arouse its audience sexually, whereas erotica expresses

sexual excitement rather than causes it . . . [and] may have other
merit which cancels that effect
 We can speak of the pornography industry (various authors estimate
its annual profits to be somewhere between $6 and $10 billion).

Harris (1999) used the term media sex to refer to such content, which
seems adequate so long as it is distinguished from pornography and
erotica.

the first examples of pornographic literature were created by Italian

author and engraver Pietro Aretino in the 16th century, in
particular the dialogues between a sexually experienced woman and
an innocent woman in Ragionamenti

Deep Throat (1972), starring Linda Lovelace. Invention of cassett

recorder. Public Porn to Home Porn to Masturbation

Participants reported higher sexual arousal after listening to stories

featuring consensual sex than those featuring coercive sex, although

this effect is reduced if the female victim of coercive sex achieves an
orgasm

demand characteristics (i.e., participants conforming to the

expectations of the experimenters).

It is argued that an important effect of pornography, as with media

violence, is desensitisation. Viewing sexually explicit material over a

long period of time reinforces rape myths and instils an appetite for
ever-more extreme material as viewers become bored with softcore
content.
 A similar argument underlies studies that have examined the effects of

viewing pornography on participants attitudes toward their partners.

Occasionally it is suggested that such use is cathartic in nature

pornography as a functional alternative to actual sex.

Malamuth(1996), an experimentalist turned Darwinist, claimed that
pornogra-phy works for men as a biological trick. In masturbating
over a nude model, a man may subconsciously think he has scored,
thereby providing a cathartic effect. There are many good things about
such a trickit avoids any likelihood of contracting sexual disease,
there is no possibility of rejection, and it may be useful when resources
are scarce and competition is high. Women, on the other hand, do not
benefit from this type of trick in the same way as men, because it is
only beneficial when following a short term mating strategy. Therefore,
they prefer erotica, in which male models demonstrate higher
investment (i.e., suggesting they will be loyal partners and good
parents).

A number of authors have examined these benefits, from what Weaver

(1991) referred to as the sexual information perspective. For
example, marital counsellors and psychosexual therapists have argued
that pornography may provide couples with stimulation, both physical
and mental (in providing ideas), to recharge a flagging sexual
relationship (Malamuth & Billings, 1984). It is often argued that
pornography may play a valuable role in providing sexual information
in general. Trostle (1993) found that although pornography was not
listed very highly by undergraduates as a source of learning about sex
in general, 50% of respondents cited it as an information source about
oral and anal sex, and 43% cited it as an information source about
foreplay. This is a surprising finding given the arguments that
pornography tends to gloss over aspects of lovemaking other than the
act of intercourse itself.

86% of this sample responded by claiming that they had used

pornography at least once in the previous month. Sexual Coercion

Feminist antipornography writers argue that it is the sexual climate

produced by pornography that results in abuse against women, rather
than there being a simple cause-and-effect relationship.
 For women using pornography may be more of a group bonding
exercise, like attending a strip show.

Women become involved in pornography either as a result of poverty

or as a consequence of childhood sexual abuse, prostitution

There is a case for regarding prostitution and pornography as two

components of the more general sex industry, and their personnel as
sex workers. This definition affords higher status to the women
involved in making pornography, as well as giving credibility to their
profession as a whole.

Jenna Jameson, Another porn star, Bridget the Midget Powerz, Teri
Weigel (webcam). Own websites

Gary Glitter (real name Paul Gadd) was convicted of the possession of
over 4,000 indecent images of children on the hard drive of his
portable laptop computer, and sentenced to 4 months of jail time

Cameron and Frazer (2000) argued that pornography should be

considered as a text like any other media productour attention
should be on the particular reading made by the audience rather
than trying to pass judgment on pornographic material as merely
stimuli to which viewers may be exposed.

Pornography itself is a functional genre, produced solely for sexual

gratification.

Chapter 11- The psychology of media audience

 Active/passive modes can be either internal or external. If we take as
an example watching television when theres nothing else to do, an internal
motivation would be boredom whereas an external one could be lack of
company. These motivational theories have inspired a good deal of research
into peoples uses of media, but they are complemented by theories
of gratifications, which are built on the concept of basic human needs.
Although
basic needs (e.g., stimulation) may provide motivation for using
media, the behaviour will not be repeated subsequently unless we have
found the experience gratifying. Hence, in addition to reasons for watching
a specific programme, we need to determine whether the programme
has satisfied those initial needs.

Parasocial interaction (PSI) occurs when we respond to a media figure

as
though he/she/it were a real person. You feel as if they had been in a real
road accident and youd like to do something for them

This enables us to identify three different levels of

PSI, ranging from Level 1 PSI, at which the interaction is with a media figure
who represents him- or herself (e.g., a presenter or newsreader); to
Level 2 PSI, at which a human actor represents a fictional character (e.g., a
soap star); to Level 3 PSI, at which the figure is nonhuman (e.g., a cartoon
character).