Pornography has always been a leader in technology. Perhaps due to its widespread demand, the industry has always been large enough, and sophisticated enough, to spearhead technological advancements.
This isn’t a recent phenomenon either, seeing as pornographic movies have been around since the late 1890s. With websites such as GayDemon, it’s had a cultural impact on pushing forward on progressive tolerance too, not just technological.
It’s not an exaggeration to say porn runs the internet. There are over 4 million pornographic websites in the US alone – equating to around 1 website for every 50 American adults. These sites were some of the first to accept online payments, which is a phenomenon that is slowly taking over from the use of cash on the high street.
Adapting to new trends in Pornography
There is everything from free gay porn to paid OnlyFans interactions – the choice is at the essence of the industry. Because of this, boundaries are constantly being pushed. For example, Virtual Reality headsets are looking like the next gaming revolution, in which users can interact more intimately with a game by immersively being placed within the world, as they look around, and somewhat remove themselves from the “real” world.
Well, the pornography industry was more interested in this than the gaming industry, with millions of VR porn videos being made every year – way more than VR games. This has been the case since the early invention of VR headsets and is porn production that is pushing the boundaries on what VR can achieve. In fact, the line between gaming and watching porn is also blurring, as the adult industry also produces erotic games, too.
Money and competition drives innovation
The reason behind all of this innovation comes down to money. And the reason why the industry is so lucrative is that it taps into human desire in its rawest form – the rampant sexual urges are perhaps the most powerful way for people to open up their wallets, and always has been. Even if it’s not to pay for the consumption specifically, the amount of potential views from free pornography is enough to make ad revenue.
Of course, the OnlyFans and webcam phenomenon is where the profit really starts to be apparent when it comes to individuals. No production company is needed for someone to create a cam or OnlyFans account, which can then have a paywall to access amateur content. Thus, even amateur pornography is still a driving force of technology, as app developers find new ways to make the transaction from a desire to desired all the more efficient.
What’s more interesting than reflecting on pornography’s technological advancements is speculating on where it may take us next. For all of the controversy the industry, and the addiction surrounding its consumption, we can all reap the rewards from the boundaries being pushed in things such as VR, content creation apps, and film production techniques. Furthermore, privacy within pornography consumption is paramount to users, and this helps grow a wider demand to set a privacy precedent for other places on the internet, too.