steelridge58
Regular
397 messages
joined Mar 2008
A somber Philosophy of Pornography*:
In their book A Billion Wicked Thoughts, two neuroscientists, Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam, conducted an extensive study of the internet by analyzing the digital footprints of over a hundred million men and women—using everything from search queries and site visits to the reading of erotic fiction as the foundational data for their research into pornography. Beyond just flooding us with raw numbers regarding how many people consume this content, Ogas and Gaddam actually included a massive collection of anonymous comments from users on various adult sites, detailing exactly why they seek out and engage with pornography in the first place.
From those scattered comments, you can actually pull out several core categories that seem to transcend cultural or national borders, forming what I might call a universal heritage of pornography that exists regardless of a user's background. We can think of these shared themes as a sort of brief philosophy of pornography; much like how we all agree on certain human traits—like self-awareness, the ability to laugh, or the capacity to learn a new language—which allows us to philosophize about the human condition, Ogas and Gaddam’s research suggests that pornography possesses these cross-cultural categories that are common to almost everyone who uses it.
Virtuality – When I say virtuality, I’m not just talking about what we colloquially call "online content"; rather, virtuality primarily refers to the absence of actual infidelity toward a real-life partner. There is a profound distinction between cheating in the physical world and cheating in the virtual world, because virtual infidelity is often wiped clean as an experience of betrayal in a psychological sense; it leaves a person believing that while physical cheating represents a visible, tangible shattering of a relationship, virtual cheating simply doesn't even make it onto the list of potential causes for a breakup because, in their mind, it didn't truly happen. Furthermore, virtuality implies the absence of that deep-seated internal guilt associated with doing something wrong or forbidden, because a non-existent world cannot generate real guilt, only a mere illusion of it.
Availability – Availability represents a negation of negation—essentially, the total lack of a negative response when it comes to sexual interaction. Availability is always and permanently present, not merely as a possibility, but as a constant reality that can be accessed and realized at any given moment, completely regardless of a person's mood or external circumstances. This availability takes precedence over almost any other human need, even when weighed against basic biological necessities.
To put it more bluntly: there is never any guilt or betrayal (virtuality), and there is always availability, right now, immediately, and forever (availability).
Simultaneity – Simultaneity – Simultaneity refers to the nature of the online content itself, specifically the ability to simultaneously access different websites and various types of content consisting of hundreds of different pornographic categories and subcategories (as Ogas and Gaddam note there are hundreds upon hundreds of them) that can all be viewed at once.
Boundlessness – Boundlessness doesn't refer to the sheer volume of gigabytes available, but rather to that internal feeling and perception that any imaginable fantasy can be fulfilled, because no matter how unreachable, unknown, or hidden a thought might seem, it can always be found within the vast landscape of pornography.
Anonymity – Anonymity in this context isn't about the digital privacy of not knowing what someone is searching for—in fact, the work of Ogas and Gaddam somewhat debunks the myth that internet users are truly anonymous since so much can be known about them—but instead, it refers to the possibility that one's actual thoughts can remain permanently hidden.
*The linked text provides more detailed explanations for each of these categories.
