Pornography not only follows on the heels of new technology, it is now a driving force behind technology. From VHS to video rental stores, and from satellite TV to a host of Internet innovations (such as streaming audio and video, flash, the pop‐up window and high speed Internet connections), the porn industry has been integrally linked. Damon Brown, a regular author for Playboy, said it best: “If we invent a machine, the first thing we are going to do—after making a profit—is use it to watch porn. . . . You name it, pornography planted its big flag there first, or at least shortly thereafter.”
We see that trend now with 3-D video technology. Early last month one company displayed their complete, in-house 3-D system at the Adult Video News expo in Las Vegas. Their booth had an overwhelming reception from attendees. This $4000 home theater will allow people to watch 3-D porn streamed from the company’s website.
The porn industry is enthusiastic about this new potential direction. There will be added costs to producing 3-D porn flicks, and not many TVs have 3-D capabilities yet, which means it will likely be a slow trend in adult entertainment. But it will still very likely catch on.
These trends demonstrate, as with many types of entertainment, a demand for more realism. Porn consumers want to be enveloped by a fantasy world. Our brains crave novel experiences, and as long as there is a dollar to be made, the porn industry will be there to scratch the itch.
I too found that this article skirted the boundary of usefulness. The word provocative would definitely be a good adjective to what this post is like. After reading it, I was left asking myself, “now what exactly does knowing this do for me?” It doesn’t exactly change anything as far as the battle goes. Porn is porn and regardless the presentation method, my response has to be the same. Knowing it’s now going to be seen in 3-D seems kind of irrelevant.
At the same time though, the article by Shelley Lubben about what life is like on the “in-side” could be seen the same way, but it absolutely opened my eyes to what is really going on with the porn industry. The myth, at least for me, was that the folks are having such a great time, they look so happy, and they’re having sex all the time. The fact of the matter is that nearly 99% of the actors/actresses have std’s, the probability is very high they are using alcohol and other drugs in combination just to make it through the next shoot, and they are dealing with mountains of guilt, same, other emotional issues. So it’s not all it’s cracked up to be and I needed to read that.
I say that to say, good job on the posts Luke. They’re all informative. I learn a lot here and I hope you’ll continue bringing us the information just as you always have been.
The more I can see my old life in a new light, the more powerful I’ll be to continue renewed.
@J – Thanks for the thoughts, especially your reactions to Shelley’s articles. As I said to Stephen, the idea behind posts like these are to entice the reader to click on the links provided in them, but I will try to be more direct in the future on that purpose. We have a lot of these “teaser” posts: short, quick, fairly insubstantial, but meant to get people thinking about a topic in a fresh way and searching for more information. For some of our subscribers a post like might invoke the thought, “Ok, so what. I knew the porn industry would stop at nothing to sell their smut. So what else is new?” For newcomers, a post like this may be their first bridge to a better education about the evils of the adult industry.
Stephen, I respectfully disagree. I perceive Breaking Free as not only an educational tool in the realm of internet accountability and pursuing absolute purity, but an avenue to learn more about the porn industry in general. After all, how can our war be effective if we don’t know what the enemy is up to? The more we know, the better we can be equipped.
Consider comparing your purity online to protecting your computer from viruses. In regards to the latter, we’re fighting ‘passively’ because it really isn’t a benefit to know the 30,000+ that emerge on a daily basis. We just want our software to do its job and stay up to date. Whereas with fighting porn, it’s critical that we ‘actively’ stay on guard against this threat. Nobody is battling for us per se, we must not only consciously rely on the ‘red alerts’ produced by the Holy Spirit, but be diligent in our Christian relationships.
Knowing about 3-D porn isn’t something my life desperately needs necessarily, but at least I’m aware of its up-and-coming presence. It all boils down to the world calling evil good and good evil, and I desire no part of the former.
Thoughts?
@Justin – Thanks for your thoughts. You are right about my intentions behind presenting the information. Of course, as Stephen points out, we walk a tightrope every time we post something here. Because we’re talking about a provocative topic, I need to make sure the information is presented in an edifying manner. I hope I’ve done that here. But you are right: Breaking Free is more than an purity blog; we aim to also give people the 10,000 ft. view on how porn is affecting our culture.
I’m sorry, I dont find this a useful article in the least bit. For a blog that is for breaking porn habits, why report on the porn industry. This has no merit as an article for an accountability blog. It amounts to no more than gossiping about a new trend in porn.
Seriously. This is neither a warning nor helpful in any spiritual way. I’d call it useless as an entry but I think it actually serves more as just plain titilation.
Next.
@Stephen – Thanks for your comment. I was not intending to be titillating, but rather using the post topic as a springboard to the links I included above. Often people find these posts helpful because it points them to cultural trends that reveal the depravity of pornography, prompting them to seek out more information. We’ve done in the same in the past (such as when we reported on Jenna Jameson on Oprah), passing along hot news stories so we can speak to a broader audience and point them back to our meatier articles.
Still, I see your point, and next time I will aim to be more explicit about pointing people to the information we want them to have. Thanks for the suggestion.