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The effects produced by those who view pornography are mixed and still widely debated. Generally, research has been focused around the effects of voluntary viewing of pornography. There have also been studies analyzing the inadvertent exposure to explicit sexual content. This includes: viewing naked photographs of people, people engaging in sexual acts, accidental web searches, or opening online links to pornographic material are some examples. Actually, most exposure to pornography online is unsolicited and by accident. 42% of those who view online pornography are ages ranging between 10 and 17; 66% have experienced inadvertent exposure [10].

Jae Woong Shim of Sookmyung Women’s University along with Bryant M. Paul of Indiana University published a controlled study looking at such inadvertent exposure to pornography in regards to the feeling of anonymity titled “The Role of Anonymity in the Effects of Inadvertent Exposure to Online Pornography Among Young Adult Males.” The study consisted of 84 male students, ages 18 and older, volunteering from a large American university in the Midwest. After completing an arbitrary survey, they were shown a 10 second pop-up clip consisting either of sexual or nonsexual content. Half of the subjects exposed to either clip believed they were viewing the content nonanonymously. The other half believed they were anonymous, and they were not being monitored. Then they were asked if they would rather view hardcore pornography, softcore pornography, or nonsexual material. The hardcore pornography depicted women as sexual objects and male-superiority. The softcore pornography was less graphic. The nonsexual material was a video of a professor’s lecture unrelated to sexual content [10].

After being exposed to the inadvertent pop-up clip, researchers noted which of the three above content choices the subjects selected. Researchers then measured the participants’ sexist attitudes towards women using a questionnaire asking the agreeability of statements to women gaining more control over men. The higher the score, the higher the subjects are thought to hold sexist views. Those who believed they were anonymous were less likely to be conscious of their monitoring compared to the nonanonymous group. It turns out, those who were exposed to sexual content and believed they were anonymous were the most likely to choose the hardcore pornography that depicts the most objectification of women. The next highest choice for the hardcore pornography was the group exposed to nonsexual material yet believed to be anonymous. These two groups were the most likely to hold hostile sexist attitudes towards women after the 10 second inadvertent exposure to sexual content compared to before the study [10].

This indicates negative opinions towards women. It is concluded that being exposed to sexual content, even when it is unwanted, leads men to develop harsher sexist attitudes towards women. The greater intrigue for men to view hardcore and unusual pornography was greater when they believed to be doing so anonymously. This is most likely tied to the theory of deindividuation. The theory states that a person detaches his or her self from personal responsibility and awareness as an individual, and is more likely to act differently than when their behaviors are socially attached to his or her character. “When individual’s perceive that no one knows what they are viewing, they are likely to experience reduced self-awareness, which, in tern, leads to being less considerate toward others” [10]. This implies that these men would be less likely to view the pornography which harshly objectifies women if they know others would be aware if they do so due to the perceived social consequences.

Since the feeling of anonymity disregard social norms, there is a higher chance of pursuing more extreme stimuli. This study does not prove that the men willing to watch the hardcore pornography and hold more sexist views are more likely to act out these desires and beliefs toward women. Valerie Webber in her article “Shades of Gay: Performance of Girl-on-Girl Pornography and mobile authenticities” differentiates the sex depicted in porn and personal, private sexual encounters. At first, she argues that performing sex produces normative ideas about what makes sex authentic. These normative beliefs then transfer into personal experiences where people feel an obligation to perform sex as they have viewed it in pornography [11].

Webber discovered that there is no true authenticity surrounding sex. Sex through the lens of pornography is still legitimate, yet most performers exaggerate the act to make it more rousing and intimate to the audience. She explains that “performance…does not preclude authenticity. Performance is the means by which ‘authenticity’ is established as a category” [11]. Yet the women interviewed had wide beliefs about what made sex authentic, most of which included a sense of intimacy. One interviewee point out that pornography is stigmatized for not being genuine, which is not true for all performers. Some are completely satisfied with the sex performed for porn while others report low satisfaction [11]. Those who perform in pornography have different intentions for doing so, much like any other job. Some performers do it because they like pleasing their audience, some do it for personal pleasure, and some feel they are creating something of artistic value. As Webber puts it, “if fake equals ‘bad’, than good must equal ‘real’. The motives can be ‘pure’, but what those motives are can differ dramatically” [11]. Performers are usually aware of what their audience expects from them and what viewers enjoy. Webber could theorize that women use this knowledge and personal intentions to produce pornography in which men anonymously consume, which then authenticates the normality of such depictions of sex as being appropriate and desirable.

Sources: Shim, J. W., & Paul, B. M. (2014). The Role of Anonymity in the Effects of Inadvertent Exposure to Online Pornography Among Young Adult Males. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 42(5), 823-834.

Webber, V. (2013). Shades of gay: Performance of girl-on-girl pornography and mobile authenticities. Sexualities, 217-235.