Why Internet Porn Matters

by Margret Grebowicz

Now that pornography is on the Internet, its political and social functions have changed. So contends Margret Grebowicz in this imperative philosophical analysis of Internet porn. The production and consumption of Internet porn, in her account, are a symptom of the obsession with self-exposure in today's social networking media, which is, in turn, a symptom of the modern democratic construction of the governable subject as both transparent and communicative. In this first feminist critique to privilege the effects of pornography's Internet distribution rather than what it depicts, Grebowicz examines porn-sharing communities (such as the bestiality niche market) and the politics of putting women's sexual pleasure on display (the "squirting" market) as part of the larger democratic project. Arguing against this project, she shows that sexual pleasure is not a human right. Unlikely convergences between thinkers like Catherine MacKinnon, Jean Baudrillard, Judith Butler, and Jean-François Lyotard allow her to formulate a theory of the relationships between sex, speech, and power that stands as an alternative to such cyber-libertarian mottos as "freedom of speech" and "sexual freedom."

Genres: Philosophy, Unfinished, Nonfiction

148 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 2013

Reviews

[Daniel Cardoso · Rating 2 out of 5]

My own academic review of this book was published on the "Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies", and is fully available here:
http://www.participations.org/Volume%...

My other work can be consulted at www.danielscardoso.net

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating critique of the evolution of feminist thought surrounding pornography, intertwined with a post-structuralist Baudrillardian distinction of internet porn. Grebowicz postulates that the internet acts on porn in two distinct and transformative ways: 1. the internet makes porn democratic - easy and immediate access eliminates the social stigma and perversion for the consumer, in turn consumer interest drives new expressions of sex/sexuality. 2. the internet makes porn information - quantifiable and communicative.

Quite a lot of the book is spent explaining and bundling previous feminist readings of porn into overlapping camps (sexual degradation/sexual empowerment, etc.). In this Grebowicz seemed to be reprinting a literature review preface to an unwritten work, rather than offering new interpretations. Her brief chapter on science fiction and porn was anemic as well. There is much to be read in the ALIEN films or BLADE RUNNER, but this section was ultimately disappointing.

[jeow]

interesting lens to talk about porn through. i think grebowicz does a good job of furthering and pointing out the limitations of the existing literature on gender/sexuality/porn studies while positioning them within the information age. quite dense for me though...