Technology and the Future of Pornography

Technology and the Future of sootographyPornography and the Internet A intelligent MarriageTo say that smut fungus is a profitable manufacture is to terribly understate reality. Though it does non have its own NAICS code, estimates of the fulfilment to which sex sells range from at least $1 billion to up to $50 billion horse bills annually (Byers 2004, p. 6 Cronin Davenport 2001, p. 38 Davidson 2003, p. 92 Murray 2004, p. 9 Simpson 2003, p. 1). Clearly, the estimates are wide ranging, due in large part to the lack of ashesal reporting methods for much(prenominal) occupations as prostitute and exotic dancer while bountiful bookstores may, from an pains accounting perspective, may simply be viewed as a bookstore. In addition, it is important to note that the pornography pseudo-industry is not just a multi-billion dollar force, it is a growing industry.Market OverviewThe principal reason for its recent explosive growth is in m both ways similar to reason for pornographys first boom, the invention of the printing press. The press permitted wide scale distribution and subsequent access of not just Bibles and books but different subjects of interest which allowed the publics latent desires to be aro pulmonary tuberculosisd. In more recent times, the internet represents the application of disruptive engineering science in that it is a form of distribution that, especially for pornography, presents extra advantages everywhere the pornography of yesterday with regards to a distribution that is an order of magnitude bigger than the press is capable (Davidson 2003, p. 91). Pornography that is online represents a significant portion of the broader category of pornography in general which also includes print, television and music media. This category in turn is part of an even larger segment of sex which further encompasses adult clubs, escort services and other products and services that are estimated to contribute the almost half a trillion dollar globa l industry. Of this, though estimates are difficult due to the nature of the industry, analysts suggested in 1999 that between $2-2.5 billion is from online sources, a figure which constitutes perhaps of all online revenues (Cronin Davenport 2003, p. 38 Byers 2004, pp. 6-7, Thompson 2005, p. 32). concurrent with the growth in revenue is the proliferation of a adult web content which witnessed an eightfold (8x) growth between 2001 and 2005 (Thompson 2005, p. 32).One net effect of this is an overall industry is that it is both an attractive industry with regards to margins yet is highly competitive and fragmented. In further consideration of the industry, the following analysis is presentedStrengths Pornography is perhaps as recession-proof an industry as the funeral home business. The product is backed by a millennia of biological imperative and fueled by a never-ending thirst for satisf exertion and frolic. When enabled by ubiquitous internet technology, it is easier to access and this access breeds familiarity which in turn creates a creeping social acceptance.Weaknesses Clearly pornography is not embraced by society as a whole. While on that point is evidence that its consumption may lead to a host of social ills such as violence or developing of children, this industry faces a scratch greater than industries such as alcohol, tobacco, gambling or firearms.Opportunities Though there are some signs that, in its current iteration, the industry is maturing (Cronin Davenport 2001, p. 45). Despite this, there should be little doubt that, the digital age is porns golden age (Byers 2004, p.8). Additionally, the nature of both the industry and the technology presents a very low cost of entry to a trade for it seems there is an insatiable demand.Threats Perhaps the greatest threat is simply negative stigma attached to pornography as being obscene, indecent, perverted, dirty or other negative label. Though consumers are relatively assured of anonymity, the re remains a fear of being discovered whether by ones spouse, supervisor, congregation, neighbors or others. Worth mentioning is the threat of being outlawed. Though pornography functions under a broad interpretation of the US first amendment concerning free speech, illicit pornography still manages to flourish, especially in the age of the internet.Overall, though pornography may be a maturing industry, due in large part to the omnipresence of the internet, it is an evolving one due to the fact that 2/3 of Americans have internet access (Management immediately 2005, p. 19 Thompson 2005, p. 32). Of this online activity in 2004, excluding pornography, the market for paid online content was almost $2 billion of which personals and dating and entertainment lifestyles construed approximately half (Thompson 2005, p. 32). This evolution is a consequence to the interest to facilitate the distribution anonymous, affordable and on-demand pornography. This broad distribution, while meeting an apparent pent-up consumer demand, has had the side effect of decentralizing a formerly constrained industry. For example, whereas one previously had to venture to seedy locales that were, for the most part, geographically restricted to a certain area of town to partake of pornography, pornography is immediately virtually everywhere (Davidson 2003, p. 97). Subsequently, this decentralization has resulted in a broader acceptance manifested by both wider recognition of its existence and the pushing back of the line of what constitutes socially agreeable pornography. For example, consider the 1995 release of music from convicted felon Snoop Doggy Dogg in which group and oral sex was advocated (). Prior to this controversial release, one great power have thought that the fundamental laws of economics and the general sensibilities and tolerances of even youth would essentially squelch such filth yet, to the surprise of many, the songs in challenges hit the authorize of the charts and sold over 300,000 copies within weeks (Davidson 2003, p. 100). Clearly, such an example illustrates the slipping lines of what is tolerated, accepted and even embraced by society.Technology Enabled Pleasure MarketingWith this degree of financial intrusion pornographers, regardless of perceived social virtues, there is a pen net combination of marketing- and technology-savvy that is driven by the motivation of the obtaining just a piece of the fortunes that seemingly live to be taken. Beginning with a virtually irresistible and attractive product, modern pornographers have been at the forefront of profitably e-commerce almost since the inception of the internet. Pornographers are astray regarded as the first and most profitable internet business models (Davidson 2003, pp. 191-192 Vinas 1996, p.11). Though they are marketing a highly desirable product, pornographers have both employ technology and been facilitated by the nature of the technology of the internet in a number of ways to enable their business.Key to facilitating online pornography are the following feature film of e-commerce (Cronin Davenport 2001, pp. 36-37)Transparency The internet as a consumptive product is truly WYSWYG, the compu-speak acronym for what you see is what you get.Immediacy With the internet, ones delay in gratification is limited solely by the size of ones wallet (or purse), the bandwidth of connection and the speed at which one can click.Disintermediation Clearly, the internet is a strength which readily lends itself to a instantly-to-consumer business model in which profit-taking, cost-increase middlemen are eliminated.Price Competition A key aspect of the ability of the internet to facilitate alike(p) prices for comparable products is the speed and availability of consumers to price shop and vote with their financial patronage for the product which grants them the greatest utility.Convenience 24/7. No clerks. No close signs. And you never have to even get dre ssed and leave the house.Accessibility The internet in not only in your home, it is also in your self-confidence (a fact that has been the bane of some), it is on the road and if you do not own a computer, you can likely borrow a public access storage at the local library.Modularity A consumer is not forced to one-top shop they can fulfill one fetish of their pastiche identity at one locate and another at a different site. Something for everyone, or rather, everything for almost anyone.Low Switching Costs There is little lock-in through contracts or any other means. A consumer can, with little or no direct or indirect cost incursion, switch from this-is-my-fantasy to that-is-my-fantasy they can even likely have both, maybe, bandwidth permitting, simultaneously.Impersonality This operator is one of the most salient in that, within reason, anonymity is relatively assured. For respectable persons to be able to acquire smut desires of their heart without having to risk breakt hrough is likely a key driver of the how technology is driving the financial success of pornography.Similar to the nine factors above, other theorists similarly summarize the key drivers of the grow success of online pornography such as Coopers Triple A Engine in which access, affordability and anonymity come together for tremendous synergism (Byers 2004, p. 1). An additional factor that is present in online pornography is found in the very nature of internet technology itself the ability to gather, analyze and act upon certain consumptive data (Davidson 2003, p. 181). Pornographers are perhaps among the worlds greatest marketeers in their ability to mine data and utilize this information to drive additional sales or, as one report puts it, charge and collect a fee for the customer to have the opportunity to spend even more gold (Weber 1997, A1)..Thorns of E-CommerceThough surfing the internet is perhaps functionally anonymous, there are nonetheless bits and pieces of data left behind of which many cases are involuntarily and unknowing. For example, if a certain user, identifiable initially by a specific IP address visits one certain site, porn marketeers declare use of computer algorithms to look to additional sites of interest which are then presented as pop-ups or other intrusive internet marketing techniques. For consumers who voluntarily submit information such as might be utilise for club-access, the pornographer has access to even more information in addition to information gleaned from recurrent visits such as which web pages were viewed, etc.As technology has enable pornography, pornographers have quite likely made full use of this technology using, at best, ethically self-styled marketing tactics. Such tactics are designed redirect unsuspecting internet surfers to either an explicit web site or to a inlet to one. Once there, pornographers often make it very difficult to leave yet very easy, i.e., automatic, to come back. While it is an accep ted retailer strategy to take such steps as utilizing larger shopping carts, positioning commodities such as milk or toilet paper at the back of a store, and to utilized free samples, pornography-in-general has a reputation for virtually kidnapping browsers through hiding or re-tasking exit buttons, unrequested software downloads, resetting home pages and other techniques designed to direct consumers to their sites, entice them with their wares and keep them there longer than they might want to stay (Murray 2004, pp. 63-67).The increasing proliferation and acceptance of pornography represents a significant market force for marketeers as this force works both ways. That is, as pornography gains a larger market, the pie grows in size while, consequently, what was taboo becomes more normalized, pornographers must become increasing creative in pushing the envelope. The downside for pornographic producers is that they are fundamentally limited by a fixed number of body orifices and the a rriving at some untried form of sex would seem to be a finite proposition.This dual-natured dilemma is also represented in the efforts of some in society to squelch or at least, contain pornography by the proposal of a .xxx internet domain designation for x-rated sites. On one side, such a device would make it easier to filter out unwanted pornography yet it requires compliance from both the pornographic industry and a desire for compliance on behalf of the consumer. Additionally, in the vitrine that such a requirement was enacted, it would serve the undesirable purpose of legitimatizing an industry that many would just as soon pretend did not exist. Finally, such an action might have the net effect of essentially doubling the available cyber-shelf space of pornography as marketeers could simply operation two identical sites (one site with two IP addresses) (Trueman 2005, p. 12a).As pornographers gain financially, they do not do so in isolation. In addition to generating revenue f rom targeted ad placements in pornographic media, other firms profit directly from its success and distribution. For example, payment intermediaries such as Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and similar firms capture a fixed percentage of every dirty dollar and, as was indicated previously, there are many-billion of them. Despite the massive financial gain, credit card firms may be under pressure from groups that would prefer pornography not to exist (Lubove 2003). Regardless of the hassles that the credit card oligopolies seek to impose, the sheer financial impetus of the industry is assurance that the mother of invention, if needed, will create a source that will deliver the goods to lonely, demanding consumers.The Future of PornographyRegardless of ones love or hate of pornography, it is the nature of fallen man to seek pleasure and avoid pain. It is the nature of the capitalism to meet the needs of any market with funds sufficient to cover the costs. Thus, the question is not whether po rnography will exist, rather, the question is what will it look like and how will it be delivered? Currently, the continuing emergence of broadband and multimedia applications is fueling the growth of mobile telecommunications equipment. This segment resulted in over $600M revenue in Europe in 2003 and is projected to grow 5x in less than three years to over $3 billion (Booth 2003, p. 17).With regards to the current reading material of online pornography, there is likely to be either increased regulation of marketing practices or the growth of third-party software providers to block aggressive attempts and the pornographers online version of the telecommunications industrys slamming practices. As cyber space becomes more crowded and competitive with seemingly indistinguishable offerings, more traditional marketing strategies such as adding value, emphasizing communities and clubs and respite marketing will be more extensively utilized. In addition, due to the social stigma associa ted with not only pornography but advertising it as well, marketeers will likely focus on programs that are subtle, suggestive and semiotic (rather than in-your-face). In addition, the continued integration of technology is likely to be a coming event. Mobile phone internet browsers that make computing at home, at the office or on the go a nearly unlined digital environment in which you can be with either stored or streamed content of your choice anywhere.Finally, it would seem as the next step of the industry and the ultimate future of online pornography will complete virtual sex experiences in which there is participation as well as sights, sounds and sensation. Though teledildonics is a well-explored concept, there are no commercially available products currently available (Balderson Mitchell 2001). Regardless, the arrival in the homes of technology that currently exists with remote surgery apparatus will state a new techno-sexual renaissance which, as history has witnessed, p ornography will eagerly adopt.Works ConsultedAuthor Unknown. (2005, December). Management Today, p. 19.Balderson, M., and Mitchell, T. (2001). 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The Money Shot How the Porn Business Resurrected the Studio System. University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada (MA Thesis).Thompson, M. (2005, August). Online Recreation. Technology Review, p. 32.Trueman, P. (2005, September 15). .XXX Would Legitimatize Porn. USA Today, p. 12a.Vinas, T. (1998, September 21). X-Rated and on the A-List. IndustryWeek, pp. 11-12.Weber, T. (1997, May 20). The X-Files For those who scoff at internet commerce, heres a hot market Raking in millions, sex sites use old-fashioned porn and cutting edge tech Lessons from the Mainstream. The Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. A1. New York, New York.