Pornography and the New Media Essay

Almost as lucrative as the oil industry; the omnipresent multi-media pornography industry is said to be more profitable than the music and video industries combined. The European Parliament (2003) estimates that more than two-thirds of the £252 million spent by European internet users during 2001 was received by various pornographic websites. This recorded expenditure does not, however, account for the widely available non-internet based pornographic literature, theatre and DVD trade, or for prostitution – the age-old trade from which the term pornography is derived (Potter, 1998); thus effectively deeming the pornography industry to be indescribably profitable.

The United States Government needs to stop drafting laws that aim to reduce online privacy and give the government the power to effectively censor the internet. The creators of these proposed laws would try to say that they will allow the government to better protect against cyber-attacks and to maintain intellectual property. But what they don’t say is that the bills lack certain privacy and civil liberties protection. These are rights that people in this country have begun to

According to the Communication Decency Act of 1996 the CDA prohibits the users from using the internet that provides obscene, offensive material. It restricted the minors, individuals under 18 years of age. The CDA consider use of such salacious material to be taken as crime if made available to the minors. But the CDA was found to be unconstitutional and too broad because it violated the first amendment, according to the Supreme Court the communication decency act was not limited to a commercial speech or entity rather it was a prohibition on whole group. An alternative internet censorship law was made known as Child online protection act of 1998, it was found to be much more limited than the CDA but it too was found to be unconstitutional.

In the technological boom of the 1990s internet usage became became exponentially popular. This unprecedented development in technology led to people questioning the permissibility of online conduct. In particular, people panicked over the easy accessibility of adult content on the internet. Many parents and families were quick to worry about the possibility that their young children could view pornographic material with just a few clicks on a on the computer. As government officials became aware of families’ concerns, the legislative branch was quick to action. Finally in 1996, Congress passed the Communications Decency Act in efforts to protect minors for obtaining pornography online. However, distressed parents were not able to celebrate for long. The same day that Congress passed the CDA, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged the ban by taking it to court. The ACLU believed that the the CDA was far too broad and violated the first and fifth amendments by criminalizing wide-ranging elements of internet speech. On March 19th, 1997 the case was

However, in terms of how freedom of speech applied to the Internet, the government is still struggling to come to grips with what they should or should not try to restrict.

The controversy and perspective of women against pornography is one of the most beetling debates waged between modern-day feminists amongst themselves as well as between other opinionated individuals. As defined in this essay, pornography is any printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to arouse erotic, sexual rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings. The growing feminist population hosts many apprehensions as well as positive outlooks concerning the pornography industry and its portrayal of women, thus causing it to be a highly debated affair amongst those that share contrasting opinions on the matter. With the increasing interest on the matter, more feminists develop reasoning as to why they either support or oppose pornography. A copious number of those that oppose pornography believe it regresses the movement of feminist in its entirety.

Pornography is an age-old phenomenon that has been under much modern-day scrutiny. With the recent proliferation of online pornography, possible social ramifications of sexually explicit material on uncontrolled mediums have become the subjects of intense debate. Proponents of a liberal approach toward pornography argue that access to online smut is a constitutionally protected freedom and "a harmless diversion that serves to satisfy curiosity and relieve sexual tensions.5" Opponents of this view are particularly concerned with the social effects of online pornography and its effect on the values and morals of minors who can access pornographic images. I will argue for the liberal side and argue that porn in both print form and

The impacts of pornography in the modern world are far reaching. Its motives remain unaddressed, and hence people create varying views towards it. One wonders whether pornography silences women. If it does, then how? Then, why women and not the opposite gender? If pornography harms women, why do they still act it? The clip may have two meanings, literal and symbolical. However, the speaker seems to be delivering her information. Still, one may wonders how pornography subordinate woman yet mostly acted by women. The female body has always been mysterious. Then how does pornography play as a tool of subordination? For a person to understand the speaker’s claims, it may be wise to understand the purpose of pornography. The mystery of pornography is broad. There are those who act, those who advertise and market it and those who watch. Most of pornographic images and videos are recorded using high definition graphics. Still, most pornographic content free to access and download. Then how to its producer’s pay back the production cost? Many people may hold that there exist different motives behind pornography. Though, most people hold differing views towards pornography. The insights from the clip suggest some attitudes to the viewer.

Sexuality in the media has been a topic of debate and discussion over recent years. It has become increasingly controversial as many people believe that there has been an increase in sexualized media over recent years. They believe this is to blame for the increased sexuality exhibited by adolescents. Some may argue that as society and adolescents begin to become more sexualized, the media responds to this by producing more sexualized media be relevant and popular. The media argues that they need to continue to be sexualized to effectively promote their ideas and sell products to a society that has become sexualized over time.

The claim that the internet is “unregulated” is false. The information highway is profoundly regulated. The DMCA, mentioned previously is only one of the regulations imposed on the internet which focuses on removing specific, unauthorized content from the internet (Condon). There are also numerous laws and regulations imposed protecting the privacy of the general public, the privacy of minors, and to protect malware and viruses from entering computers through internet usage.

The topic of regulating the internet has been a growing concern for many Americans. There are many people including myself that feels the government should catch up with the internet and create some type of regulation for the context published on internet sites, epically social media. However, there are also people who believe they are protected under the “freedom of speech act” so they post whatever they want online.

Several people challenged the 1996 Communications Decency act. It was put in place to protect minors from material on the internet that was unsuitable for them to be seeing. The act prohibited the transmission of obscene messages and information that describes sexual activities in a manner that was deemed inappropriate by community guidelines. The Court decided that this Act violated the first amendment because it tried to regulate speech without clearly identifying what indecent communications were. The Act failed to determine restrictions on people or time (so it would not impact adults) or prove that the transmission of obscene material is not of social value.

Instead of censorship and regulation by the government, we as users of the Internet should be able to practice self-regulation. Censorship of the Internet violates the First Amendment of the Constitution, and thus robs us of our right to freedom of speech. Since cyberspace is a fairly new concept, any restrictions placed on the Internet by the CDA will determine the degree of freedom we will enjoy on the Internet in future years. Enforcement of the CDA will potentially rob us of a valuable source of information on subjects ranging from abortion and AIDS to birth control.

In recent years, the term pornography has been primarily associated with that which is accessed and streamed over the internet, rather than the literal definition of, “obscene writings, drawings, photographs, or the like, especially those having little or not artistic merit.” This form of visual pornography is a popular and successful business as it is viewed for fulfilling pent up sexual desires, however it promotes the act of having multiple sex partners without the need of any commitment. Although it is for this reason that this business is permitted, there are many overlooked, long – term affects that have become topics of controversy. Not only does pornography affect those who indulge in it, but it can influence those who divulge

In recent years, pornography has established itself as perhaps the most controversial topic arising out of the use of the Internet. The easy availability of this type of sexually explicit material has caused a panic among government officials, family groups, religious groups and law enforcement bodies and this panic has been perpetuated in the media.