Internet Pornography, A Worldwide Phenomenon
Internet pornography (Porn) is described as acts of copulating and other sexually explicit behavior that is conducted via a video camera and displayed online. Its viewing has become a worldwide problem that is costing governments millions of dollars in funds that are being used to stem the contamination. Employers have lost productivity as a result of this phenomenon. People who should be working are known to visit porn sites during the day. The most problematic areas that are affected are the young children and adolescents of our society. Many are now addicted to this type of “movie” and are unable to stop themselves even though it affects every aspect of their lives. This research on internet pornography was done to answer some of the questions that are associated with this growing problem and to try to address some of the issues.
The dangers of internet pornography are immeasurable. Even if some are evident, others are not as pronounced, or visible as other dangers. People have become addicted in a short amount of time and have been known to do outrageous acts. Violence and sex crimes are more rampant because of this addiction. The country is now facing more dangers because of some of these predators. The government will now be forced to add a means to stemming this problem to their budget. Not to mention the huge numbers of teenage pregnancies that they now have to contend with, because of internet pornography. Several researches have been conducted into the dangers and consequences of internet pornography. Evidence was uncovered that the amount of variations of internet pornography that are available for viewing is staggering. A nonprofessional would not be able to know this, even if the person is an addict himself or herself. The list is inexhaustible.
I think that this is a major problem that should be rectified as soon as possible. I think that there are too many instances where people have been affected or victimized by the predators that spend their days viewing porn on the internet. I also think that it is too accessible. Just about anyone, including children, are able to search ‘porn” on the internet and come up with a plethora of sites to choose from, explicit videos included with the photos.
I am of the opinion that internet pornography should be regulated. Seeing that it already exists and cannot be erased from the internet, the relevant authorities should devise a way in which they can regulate the access of such material. There are currently many individuals online and off, who use internet pornography as a means to earning an income.
The exposure to pornography causes unrealistic expectations of sexual activities and prowess for individuals. Regulating access to porn can have a positive impact on the society as a whole. Only a select set of people would be able to access this material, thus stemming the effect it has on some. The dangers it poses to society would be substantially minimized. Some of these dangers are rapes, failed marriages, voyeurism, desensitization, as they become immune to the joys of normal sexual intercourse, an increased amount of peeping toms, promiscuity and other violent sexual crimes, including kidnapping and human trafficking.
Internet pornography has also been linked to psychologically impaired individuals. These behaviors have been categorized as having stemmed from the ingestion of these lewd materials. A major part of the struggle for those who have become addicted is that they hide it and live with the torment that is associated with such an addiction. This can sometimes cause additional problems in their lives. For the most part, they are unable to function normally because of what they have seen and what is stored in their brains. Women are no longer as appealing to them if they are not able to act in a certain manner. Currently, researches that were conducted ascribe to the fact that the cost that internet pornography incurs on society are the highest that it has ever been.
FINDINGS – PORN STATISTICS
- The cost associated with loss of productivity in the US is estimated at 16.9 Billion per year.
- Pornography is viewed by approximately 28,258 users per second
- $3,075.64 per second is being used on Porn online each second.
- 40,000,000 Americans have already visited these sites.
- Approximately 35% of the material that are downloaded relate to internet porn.
- 25% of the queries that are conducted through search engines on a daily basis are porn-related.
- The amount of women who view porn amount to 1/3
- Pop ups, ads, links and emails have exposed 34% of unsuspecting internet users to porn.
- 2.5B emails are circulated that contain porn each day.
- Every 39 minutes or so, new pornography materials are created in the US alone and approximately 200,000 Americans are discovered to be addicted to porn (this figure does not include the closet addicts).
FINDINGS – YOUTH AND PORNOGRAPHY
- Teenagers who have frequent exposure to the sexually explicit content that is shown on the television or on the internet are more at risk of becoming pregnant
- They are disoriented by the viewing of porn during their developmental phase. This is when it becomes important for them to learn how to manage their sexuality and moral values.
- Self-esteem issues will also arise, the feel of inadequacy when it comes to being with a partner.
This topic of study is very important as it solidifies the claim that the pornographic material that is available online is too “free”. It attests to the fact that these researches that were done were supposed to be instrumental in getting the relevant authorities to censor the use of such material. I have seen website after website categorizing that dangers of this problem and some are requesting a solution for it. My interest lies in the fact that there are so many different types of studies and so much information that is readily available to help with the censorship of these sites. It also lay in the fact that I was able to just type in one word and see all of these lewdness surface. Yes, my opinions were duly supported by what I found out in my research.
CONCLUSION
The amount of different people who have spent the time and effort in researching and documenting this information should not be ignored. The country and the world at large face a serious problem with internet pornography and it grows each day. For the safety and security of this generation and the ones that follow, steps should be taken to stem the flow of explicit material that is viewed online each day. The government could really earn an income from the viewers if it is properly regulated.
Additional Research
www. Powertochange.com/discover/sex-love/effectsofporn/
www.forbes.com//how-much-of-the-internet-is-actually-for-porn/
www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/CV169.pdf
www.internetsafety101.org/Pornographystatistics.htm
Works Cited
1. Wells, M., Finkelhor, D., Wolak, J., & Mitchell, K. J. (2007). Defining Child Pornography: Law Enforcement Dilemmas in Investigations of Internet Child Pornography Possession.
- Https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney//Internet_pornography.html
- Susan Cebulko, “The Impact of Internet Pornography on Married Women: A Psychodynamic
Perspective”, Cambria Press (2007)
- http://ncfamily.org/pdffiles/The_Effects_of_Pornography.pdf
- http://www.webroot.com/gb/en/home/resources/tips/digital-family-life/internet-pornography-by-the-numbers
