Geeks & Pr0n

Geeks & Pr0n:

A study of the culture behind the underground realm of cyber pornography.

The spawning of the public Internet as we know it today provided a brand new type of communication, virtually unrestricted, and naturally, as with nearly every other form of communication, has been exploited by pornography. This newly-invented category of pornography, to be called "cyberporn," would not only revolutionize its own industry, but also help to speed the development and growth of the Internet. Feeding off of each other, technology and pornography have played an equally transforming role in our current methods of communication.

It is important to note that in the past, communication technologies that were prevented from being used as a means of sexual communication were vastly subject to failure. For example, it is highly arguable that one of the main reasons for the victory of VHS tapes over the Beta format is that Beta refused to let pornography occupy their tapes. Similarly, many people attribute AOL's victory over Prodigy to the fact that Prodigy refused to allow sexual content (Pornography and Technology). Pornography and technology are so tightly woven together that it would appear that neither can exist without the other, at least not in their current forms.

Partly due to their interest in technology, it is no surprise that geeks, especially geeks of the male gender, are common consumers of the cyberporn industry. The industry is estimated to be the highest grossing sector on the Internet (Pornography and Technology), and for many geeks who spend a significant amount of time "on the web," it is difficult to avoid. This paper is meant to address the culture of these geeks, and will attempt to portray to the reader the hidden lifestyle of a geek porn-addict.

This paper will not discuss the moral concerns of pornography, because though they exist, this portrayal is meant to be factual and not opinionated, and one cannot discuss morals without opinions. That said, this paper will address pornography as an addiction, and therefore a problem, when taken to certain extremities. Where these boundaries lie, however, will not be discussed; this will be left up to the reader to define.

It is difficult to define a porn-addict without laying down boundaries that have been previously forbidden, so this paper will use the simple definition of "one who views pornography on a regular basis, and either suffers from or regrets his or her actions." Almost all addictions can be defined this way, as suffering and/or regret are side-effects that are not desirable, presumably caused by the addiction, which, when defined negatively, cannot exist without negative side effects. Therefore, the definition suffices without arguing for a specific point in which the viewing of pornography becomes an addiction.

It is critical to note, however, that the suffering or regret of a porn-addict is often overlooked by the porn-addict himself (or herself), and numerous attempts to hide the negative emotions are often made. As evident in many online blogs and forums, geeks who happen to be porn-addicts often seek comfort in a community of geeks with the same problem. In such a community, though not necessarily denying his or her addiction, one can justify his or her actions based on the acceptance of others and the sense of being "the same." Other means of justification include the belief that one truly cannot stop, that pornography is a physical need, and even views as ridiculous as "my addiction is a boost to the economy."

This is not to say that pornography is wrong, as such an argument again introduces morals and opinions. However, if an addiction to pornography is agreed upon to be a problem, then geek porn-addicts who attempt to justify their addiction are lying to themselves. There are many geeks who fall under this category, which is likely to consume the majority of geek porn-addicts, due to the fact that it is much easier to deny than to change.

Many porn-addicted geeks who are in denial of their problem spend significant, often vast amounts of time browsing and communicating through forums that exist solely as a means of trading and discussing porn. These forums vary in content from hardcore porn to clothed celebrities, which most would not even consider to be porn. These "soft-core" forums, however, are an addiction for many geeks, and therefore fall into much the same category as the hardcore porn forums.

The forum communities that occupy these forums praise each other for introducing new porn to the forum, so new postings are common and frequent, especially from geeks who fail to get praise in other places. This can lead to great pride for those who post, as they feel they are doing the community a favor, and there is often competition among posters for the most and the "best quality" porn, leading to greater pride in being "the best." For these community members, admitting their addiction as a problem can be a personal attack against themselves, and a huge loss of pride, especially if the addiction has become so bad that it consumes all of their time, and therefore hosts all of their pride. For these geeks, ridding themselves of their addiction (whether they realize they are addicted or not) is completely undesirable and would put a damper on what they believe to be their "identity," and the "love" they receive from the community. This is another reason why so many porn-addicted geeks find it so difficult to stop, because they feel it is part of "who they are," and it is a sense of fake pride and respect.

Despite the commonality of those in denial, there is also a significant number of porn-addicted geeks who realize their problem, and truly want to change. Many things can help geeks come to this realization, among them are religious views, a desire for self control, or the realization that their addiction is deteriorating another aspect of their life. Coming to this realization does not immediately provoke change, however, as an addiction, by definition, is not easily broken.