Porn Culture, Embodied Experiences and Knowledge of Sexual Practices
AUTHOR(S)
PUBLISHED
2020 in Sexualities, 2020, Vol. 23(3) 325–341
KEY FINDINGS
- Examining young people's knowledge of common terms and practices in pornography, this study found that while pornography allows consumers to gain a wider knowledge base of the existence of sexual practices, it can also uphold and perpetuate unhealthy gender stereotypes.
ABSTRACT
Much research has been conducted to date on the online pornography consumption of young people and adults. Very little has been done, however, to investigate its fallout on the sexual knowledge and attitudes (acceptance or rejection) of individuals who are online pornography consumers from early adolescence. In an exploratory study on Online Sexual Activities conducted with a sample of 301 students attending Padua University (between 20 and 25 years old), participants were asked to judge 24 sexual practices based on five... READ FULL ABSTRACT
EXCERPTS
- "The proliferation of various forms of online pornography and its ready accessibility on personal computers and mobile devices have orientated much research on the topic... One [main line] considers the role of pornography in mediated popular culture, of which it has become a constitutive part, even to the point of producing a pornographization or sexualization of society."
- "It therefore seems that the encyclopedic pornographic erudition acquired over time by much of our sample serves the purpose of any encyclopedia: it is there on a bookshelf in our memory, to be consulted when necessary, but does not affect the order or relevance of the sexual practices considered ‘normal’ and acceptable. If anything, certain boundaries of acceptability concerning the video representation of practices judged to be immoral (such as Rape, Incest or Bukkake) are redefined."
