In the digital era, pornographic content has become more accessible than ever. It’s not just technology that’s boosting the growth of online adult entertainment, but also vice versa: you’d be surprised to learn that up to a dozen digital technologies we use every day have come around courtesy of x-rated online resources. Once marginalised, these days, the business of sensual pleasure has primarily moved online and developed into a booming sex industry with multi-million-dollar revenues.
Pornography accounts for at least one-third of total internet traffic, with new fans arriving all the time. Some people get seriously hooked on adult content. Psychiatrists are now talking about a full-blown epidemic of porn addiction (on par with alcohol and drug abuse), fuelled by the pandemic that limited human interaction and drove all aspects of life online. As is true for many bad habits, porn addiction is hitting the young generation the hardest. Not meant for minors, X-rated videos are worryingly easy to come by for all audiences.
An ever-growing number of teen viewers is consistent with a steady influx of “new blood” into the ranks of porn actors. Successful adult entertainment producer Pierre Woodman admits he’s getting dozens of inquiries from underage ingenues, looking to be discovered and make a name for themselves. Feigning anger, he says he prefers actresses young and unpretentious – just like his new favourite Kiara Lord, a fresh-faced Russian blonde striving for stardom.
She and her fellow actresses say they aren’t ashamed of their work but, on the contrary, take pride in it. However, when asked about their personal lives, they admit they’d paid a hefty price for their dubious fame. Alienated by their family and friends, they are regularly attacked by critics and internet trolls and deprived of any real love life other than that in the spotlight… But porn barons will fight tooth and nail to defend their exploitative business, and the hunt for fresh young talent will go on.
Watch the 4th episode of Price of Vice to find out how porn that now permeates online space promotes addictive behaviour and contributes to recruiting more and more young people into this dehumanising business.
