Porn addiction is on the rise. More than ever before, more people
are seeking treatment for this seemingly unstoppable addiction. While
overall awareness of the problem has increased, the pervasiveness in
people in all walks of life and all age groups signals a scary and
problematic trend that is not likely to reverse itself.
While the actual causes of porn addiction have not changed much over the years, what has changed is the rise in frequency of cases which can be linked to three causes. The Three A's of Porn Addiction, Availability, Anonymity, and Affordability. The Internet and media have brought these three elements together and for certain people this combination can make for unfortunate consequences.
Availability: Before the introduction of the Internet, the only way to view porn was through magazines and VHS tapes. These porn sources were rarely difficult to obtain, as magazines have been available in convenience stores for many years or just as easily, through the mail. Playboy magazine, perhaps the most famous and mainstream of all pornographic publications, was launched in 1953, a time when socials norms and values were much different than those of today. In the 1950's, it was unlikely a married person could keep a box full of pornographic magazines without having to hide them from family members. A porn addict, feeling an urge, faced an even greater problem, that of an ever increasing need, desire and obsession with the "objects" in the magazines.
Renting, purchasing and viewing VHS tapes was a little more complex than just buying a magazine and hiding it in a paper bag. One had to go to the adult section or porn room of a video store and rent or purchase the video, bring it home, and keep it hidden. They then had to find privacy or seclusion to use VCR on what was likely the family television. The pornography viewer or soon-to-be porn addict had to plan and scheme to find private time and keep the tapes hidden.
While a porn addict can be creative and detailed in keeping their activities hidden, obstacles like those above once discouraged many from viewing porn or made it much more difficult to engage in the activity, thereby creating somewhat of a deterrent for potential porn addicts.
All of that has changed. The Internet and availability of the personal computer changed that. Logging on to the computer at work, home, or on a personal device takes only seconds and for the most part is completely anonymous and worse for the porn addict.
Watching a forbidden, taboo fetish video or image in private on a computer is easier than playing it on the family television. Computer savvy porn addicts can hide and erase the traces of their activity by deleting "cookies" and browser histories. Downloaded files can be buried within the computer. Porn can be viewed without downloading anything, streaming the images it instead. Pornographic items can be hidden so well on a computer it may take a forensic investigator to uncover it.
Personal devices such as mobile phones and tablets are fast becoming the new standard in communication technology. These are essentially hand-held computers that can be taken anywhere and can access the Internet wherever cell phone service is available. This makes porn accessible from anywhere at any time of the day or night, not just at home when no one is around or late and night when others are asleep.
In the past, porn addicts were limited to the time they could log on to their computers and access pornography, often times when everyone was asleep or in the privacy of an office. These brief periods of access allowed some type of reprieve from the obsession and compulsion. All that has changed, and the obsessed porn addict no longer seeks refuge as they have 24/7 access almost anywhere to their vice. Most people are connected with numerous devices.
Anonymity: With increased availability came more anonymity. Before the Internet, one risked being seen purchasing pornographic material, either from an adult book store or a porn shop, or took the chance friends, family, and neighbors noticed the porn material in the mailbox. For many addicts, getting porn required face-to-face interaction and this was enough to shy people away from it, limiting the number of potential brave porn addicts.
With porn being accessible within the privacy of one's home, office, vehicle, or PDA, there is no need for anyone to know the addict is viewing porn, providing total anonymity and privacy. This eliminates any sense of potential embarrassment about casual pornography viewing, and for those who are porn addicted, it can mask the fact there is a problem until long after it has become a problem.
Conversely, the anonymity the Internet provides can help in the treatment of porn addiction. Those seeking help can research porn addiction online, free-of-charge, and find professional therapists, support groups and programs, and take the first step in managing and treating their addiction.
Acceptability: Society has changed over the years. Long ago, women were not portrayed as scantily-clad models used to sell everything from liquor, cars, chewing gum and beverages. Nowadays, advertisers and marketers use sex tactics to sell. Simply put, sex sells. So why not convince the public, sex is okay, and portray movie stars, rock idols, actresses and actors in the media as scantily-dressed icons as a means to sell their product?
Sexual themes and images are more explicit in the media today than ever before. Sexual content is seen on television shows, in movies, and in advertisements. If one defines pornography as an image designed to provoke a sexual response, there is literally no escaping it in today's social media.
Many couples have reported using pornography to spice up their love lives, and dozens of celebrities have had sex tapes "leaked," into the public realm. Whether these leaks are intentional or not is unclear, but these videos show people are actually producing pornography for their own use or for public consumption and many are profiting from it. With the social stigma not as pronounced as it once was long ago, more people will partake, creating a larger pool of potential porn addicts.
Because pornography viewing is more acceptable, it also increases the amount one has to view before they may consider themselves a porn addict.
Addiction can be somewhat subjective and can be defined by the continued behavior to the point where it causes problems in the person's life. Light porn watching may not be a problem for some couples, whereas it can destroy some marriages. A person in a relationship where pornography was accepted may enter into another situation and may find pornography difficult or impossible to let go.
Each of these three factors boils down to one fact regarding pornography: There is simply more of it, and it infiltrates people's lives. It is no great wonder more porn addictions are being reported.
While the actual causes of porn addiction have not changed much over the years, what has changed is the rise in frequency of cases which can be linked to three causes. The Three A's of Porn Addiction, Availability, Anonymity, and Affordability. The Internet and media have brought these three elements together and for certain people this combination can make for unfortunate consequences.
Availability: Before the introduction of the Internet, the only way to view porn was through magazines and VHS tapes. These porn sources were rarely difficult to obtain, as magazines have been available in convenience stores for many years or just as easily, through the mail. Playboy magazine, perhaps the most famous and mainstream of all pornographic publications, was launched in 1953, a time when socials norms and values were much different than those of today. In the 1950's, it was unlikely a married person could keep a box full of pornographic magazines without having to hide them from family members. A porn addict, feeling an urge, faced an even greater problem, that of an ever increasing need, desire and obsession with the "objects" in the magazines.
Renting, purchasing and viewing VHS tapes was a little more complex than just buying a magazine and hiding it in a paper bag. One had to go to the adult section or porn room of a video store and rent or purchase the video, bring it home, and keep it hidden. They then had to find privacy or seclusion to use VCR on what was likely the family television. The pornography viewer or soon-to-be porn addict had to plan and scheme to find private time and keep the tapes hidden.
While a porn addict can be creative and detailed in keeping their activities hidden, obstacles like those above once discouraged many from viewing porn or made it much more difficult to engage in the activity, thereby creating somewhat of a deterrent for potential porn addicts.
All of that has changed. The Internet and availability of the personal computer changed that. Logging on to the computer at work, home, or on a personal device takes only seconds and for the most part is completely anonymous and worse for the porn addict.
Watching a forbidden, taboo fetish video or image in private on a computer is easier than playing it on the family television. Computer savvy porn addicts can hide and erase the traces of their activity by deleting "cookies" and browser histories. Downloaded files can be buried within the computer. Porn can be viewed without downloading anything, streaming the images it instead. Pornographic items can be hidden so well on a computer it may take a forensic investigator to uncover it.
Personal devices such as mobile phones and tablets are fast becoming the new standard in communication technology. These are essentially hand-held computers that can be taken anywhere and can access the Internet wherever cell phone service is available. This makes porn accessible from anywhere at any time of the day or night, not just at home when no one is around or late and night when others are asleep.
In the past, porn addicts were limited to the time they could log on to their computers and access pornography, often times when everyone was asleep or in the privacy of an office. These brief periods of access allowed some type of reprieve from the obsession and compulsion. All that has changed, and the obsessed porn addict no longer seeks refuge as they have 24/7 access almost anywhere to their vice. Most people are connected with numerous devices.
Anonymity: With increased availability came more anonymity. Before the Internet, one risked being seen purchasing pornographic material, either from an adult book store or a porn shop, or took the chance friends, family, and neighbors noticed the porn material in the mailbox. For many addicts, getting porn required face-to-face interaction and this was enough to shy people away from it, limiting the number of potential brave porn addicts.
With porn being accessible within the privacy of one's home, office, vehicle, or PDA, there is no need for anyone to know the addict is viewing porn, providing total anonymity and privacy. This eliminates any sense of potential embarrassment about casual pornography viewing, and for those who are porn addicted, it can mask the fact there is a problem until long after it has become a problem.
Conversely, the anonymity the Internet provides can help in the treatment of porn addiction. Those seeking help can research porn addiction online, free-of-charge, and find professional therapists, support groups and programs, and take the first step in managing and treating their addiction.
Acceptability: Society has changed over the years. Long ago, women were not portrayed as scantily-clad models used to sell everything from liquor, cars, chewing gum and beverages. Nowadays, advertisers and marketers use sex tactics to sell. Simply put, sex sells. So why not convince the public, sex is okay, and portray movie stars, rock idols, actresses and actors in the media as scantily-dressed icons as a means to sell their product?
Sexual themes and images are more explicit in the media today than ever before. Sexual content is seen on television shows, in movies, and in advertisements. If one defines pornography as an image designed to provoke a sexual response, there is literally no escaping it in today's social media.
Many couples have reported using pornography to spice up their love lives, and dozens of celebrities have had sex tapes "leaked," into the public realm. Whether these leaks are intentional or not is unclear, but these videos show people are actually producing pornography for their own use or for public consumption and many are profiting from it. With the social stigma not as pronounced as it once was long ago, more people will partake, creating a larger pool of potential porn addicts.
Because pornography viewing is more acceptable, it also increases the amount one has to view before they may consider themselves a porn addict.
Addiction can be somewhat subjective and can be defined by the continued behavior to the point where it causes problems in the person's life. Light porn watching may not be a problem for some couples, whereas it can destroy some marriages. A person in a relationship where pornography was accepted may enter into another situation and may find pornography difficult or impossible to let go.
Each of these three factors boils down to one fact regarding pornography: There is simply more of it, and it infiltrates people's lives. It is no great wonder more porn addictions are being reported.
No comments:
Post a Comment