The Pornography Industry: What Everyone Needs to Know

by Shira Tarrant

We may know pornography when we see it, but the business of pornography is a surprisingly elusive subject. Reliable figures about the industry are difficult to come by and widely disputed, but one matter that is hardly debatable is that pornography is a major and ubiquitous enterprise. Porn allegedly accounts for one-third of all internet traffic currently, though the data about actual consumption is unclear. Reports in recent years have suggested that 70 million individuals visit porn sites every week; that among viewers aged 18-24, women watch more porn than men; and that among middle-aged, white-collar workers, three-quarters of men and half of women have admitted to looking at pornography websites while at work.

While debates and emotions around porn can run high, there is a crucial need for reliable information and rational conversation. In this book, Shira Tarrant parses the wide range of statistics that we have on the pornography industry, sorting myth from reality in an objective, fascinating and knowledgeable fashion. She looks at ongoing political controversies around the industry, the feminist porn wars, the views of the religious right, the history of pornography, landmark legal cases, and the latest in medical research. The Pornography Industry also explains the industry basics -who works in porn, why people become performers, how much they earn, and what happens on a porn set. It further delves into important questions such how many teenagers watch porn and should we worry about it? What is porn piracy and can it be stopped? What can the industry do about sexist and racist pornography? Does porn cause violence against women? Can people become addicted to porn? Is watching porn
the same as infidelity? By presenting competing perspectives in an even-handed way, The Pornography Industry will enable readers to explore these provocative issues and make their own best decisions about the debates.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sexuality, Feminism, Pornography, Gender, Prostitution, Sociology

216 pages, Paperback

Published March 29, 2016

Reviews

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a tricky book to rate.


On one side, I like to appreciate the effort taken by Shira Tarrant to write a book on this topic that most people even don't bother to consider. The author mentions some aspects of this multibillion-dollar industry that many fear discussing.

The positive of this book is that she tries to discuss all the divisions of pornography, including the actors, models, and other people in this sector, including the newly developed sector of camgirls, who are unfortunately totally avoided by the government and activists in most parts of the world.

The biggest negative of this book is that the author dives deep into unnecessary explicit details of some sectors and specific cases instead of trying to deal with their problems and discuss the solutions.

Different people have different opinions about pornography. I would like to share two studies conducted regarding it that might be helpful to you, which I read in another book.

"A woman is raped in the United States every 46 seconds. (National Victim Center/crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, 1992). Eighty-six percent of rapists admit to regular use of pornography, with 57 percent admitting imitation of pornography scenes when committing sex crimes (Dr. William Marshall, 1988)"

These were the studies conducted in the late eighties and early nineties. The numbers will be higher if we conduct the latest study on this topic.

What I have found in my short Medical career from the lives of patients with porn addiction is that

Pornography
Vitiates women and children,
Shatters marriages, ethical and moral values,
Promotes sexual violence,
Disrupts families and communities

It is the personal preference of an individual to use or not use pornography. But if you think that it is reaching a level that you are addicted to it, you must seek professional help to shake away the addiction. Books like these should play a significant role in helping you for the same by educating you regarding this industry so that you won't fall into their trap. This book was a valiant attempt but sadly falls short of reaching its full potential.

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[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The focus on this seems to be more on the film industry, though it does present a good overview of the issues of debate and areas of interest. Tarrant has obviously read the material, and she notes ares where the data doesn't provide a clear case either way. She also uses more than one research study, including those outside of the US. At times, I found the format a little off - for instance shouldn't all the issues surrounding Deep Throat be brought up when it is first mentioned - but it is a very good book.

[Hameed Younis · Rating 3 out of 5]

الاباحية مشكلة كبيرة ومتعاظمة الجوانب في العالم برمته، يجب السيطرة عليها، والنظر في اجتياحها وكيفية التعامل معها. لكن الجواب حول ان كانت الظاهرة مرضية او صحية او محض شيء عادي فقد تركت الاجابة للكاتبة في حقيقة الامر
وهذا ما كان وجه المعضلة. فحين تسأل ان كانت هناك مشكلة؟ تقول نعم هناك... وهل نقوم بإصلاحها؟ فتقول لا، يجب التعامل معها وتقبلها والتساهل في مضمونها بل يكفي اعتبارها شيئاً عادياً.
هذا ما استشفيته من هذا الكتاب. فرغم ان الكاتبة قد وفرت معلومات لا بأس بها عن تاريخ تطور الاباحية وتحولها الى امبراطورية تدرّ الملايين، ورغم ان الكاتبة قد خصصت جانباً لا بأس به في التحدث القوانين والاخلاقيات التي ترتبط بالإباحية، وعن الخرافات والحقائق الجنسية، وعن وجهة نظر الاديان والاعراف... لكن القارئ يستشف في النهاية انها تطلب منه ان تتغير نظرته العامة حول الموضوع بل تبحث امكانية تدريس الموضوع في الكليات الجامعية في نهاية الكتاب!

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pornography probably does not need an explanation to anybody, even if they have never ever watched a video or viewed a magazine that would be euphemistically described as “adult material”. Yet it is big business, very big business, and that is just what is visible and in plain sight.

Putting morals and taste aside, it is clear you have to differentiate between pornographic material being produced by consenting adults and that which is clearly not, such as that featuring animals or children. There is still a certain difficulty to get an accurate picture about the size of the market for pornography. Maybe the Internet has made it harder to get, rather than easier, since in the “good old days” a lot of pornographic material was sold either by mail order or through specialist retail outlets. They would not feature on retail ranking lists, yet at least a certain estimate could be made. Today, most pornography is apparently consumed online and traffic to porn sites is said to account for up to one-third of global Internet usage.

This book takes a fascinating, sincere and open look at the global pornography industry and the author attempts to separate myth from reality without taking a position either way. The book is neither a celebration or a condemnation of pornography; it is a straight-down-the-line look at the industry. The reader can form their own conclusions.

Pornography has its tentacles (hmm, maybe not the best phrase as there is allegedly even “octopus” porn, that this reviewer has chosen not to dig deeper into what Wikipedia refers to as “tentacle erotica”) into many areas; politics, religion, the law, feminism and even medical research. Of course the industry itself is also considered and the industry is laid bare and examined in intense, intimate detail by the review. No holds barred. (Ow! Ordinarily good words that could be used in a review suddenly sound smutty or a clear intentional pun when used in connection with erotica).

This book is going to be a goldmine to the interested reader who fancies something different. It will give you a lot of great information that may seep out into your everyday conversation. You don’t need to wrap this book in a plain brown cover and you can leave it on your coffee-table without visitors making a judgement call of their own.

It is just a great book, with great information about a fascinating subject. If you want more, there’s a lot of (safe for work) reading suggestions and notes too… imagine what the not-safe-for-work reading list could look like!

[Katy]

This book attempts to move beyond the is porn good or is it bad debate, which is urgently needed, not least because that debate usually focuses on porn consumers and not porn workers. This book honestly has a lot of typos for an academic-adjacent book and could have used tighter editing overall. It's kind of uneven: there's some really good fact-finding and tracing of chestnuts like "most boys start watching porn when they are 11" but then Tarrant cites two anti-porn software companies for her stats on people watching porn at work. Just no!!! (she acknowledges her sources but doesn't seem to reeeeally consider why these companies might want to inflate their figures). She does a good job explaining some case law which is mostly why I read this. She also points out the hypocrisy of people who claim to be against disseminating porn but then ... disseminate porn in their anti-porn slideshows. also the STI chapter really needs work: if you are going to say X% of porn workers have chlamydia, you should also say what % of adults generally have it and also that its easily treatable. So, like I said, this book is uneven.

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5-4

I’ve been looking for something different to read and noticed this as recently added on Netgalley. I thought “Well, that’s different.” and requested it.

I found this to be quite insightful. There were many topics I had never thought about and/or considered before. It’s very much an unbiased view on everything you could possibly think of that’s pornography related. (Morality, promoting negative views on sex, if it’s dangerous, if teens are learning bad habits from porn, etc.) We’re given both sides of the argument in those cases. It also includes behind the scene information: how it comes together, how much performers are paid, heath issues, stigma related to the profession, etc. I especially liked the history told through the beginning. In most circumstances that’s always boring, but it was actually interesting to read how porn has evolved over time.

I had an opinion on every topic that was presented, but there were a few things that stuck out.

“Due to the pressure put on the male to ejaculate on cue, the end of sex scenes are often pre-arranged.”

All things considered this makes perfect sense, but I had never once even entertained the idea that they did this! I honestly had no idea the amount of work that actually went into making these scenes either. It described days that could last two to twelve hours!

”By 2014, survey data revealed that 63 percent of men and 36 percent of women were watching porn while they were at work.”


Seriously, where do all these people work?! That is a huge number in my opinion of people using company time unwisely. No wonder companies are now putting safeguards on their computers. I get it now.

”Pornland author Gail Dines asserts that gonzo porn is causing more men to demand anal sex from women.”

Obviously. I mean, if it weren’t for porn most men would never want anal sex.


Overall, I found this to be informative and thought-provoking.

[Maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3,5 stars

i picked up this book because the topic seemed interesting. i don't think anyone i know has actually thought about things that are directly related to porn but are not, in fact, porn, and by that i mean everything behind what you see when you open pornhub.

on this book there are so many topics i never considered before (history of porn, legal and medical issues, etc.) and i learned a lot of things that i'd probably never say in front of my parents but are, nonetheless, really interesting. did you know you can't film condom-less porn if you're working in LA? i also got (indirectly) tons, and by that i mean TONS of book recommendations because the research behind this book is so large i wrote down a lot of arcticles, books and films that i have yet to check. thank you, shira tarrant for giving my to-read list a lot of work!

i was really glad that they mentioned feminist porn in the book! i've read a few taormino books but there's never enough mention to feminism in books.

grammar was a bit off sometimes, and that threw me off the reading mood, but i don't know if that's because it was written like that or because the ebook format was actually not formatted at all.

to sum up, a really great way to introduce people to the porn industry, but if you're looking for really deep research about non-mainstream/feminist porn, you'd probably prefer a tristan taormino book.

[Ola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting topic ruined by a boring execution. It is a book about porn and I feel like I’m reading a q&a with highly specialized expert that answers questions without any regard to the recipients, and just tell whatever comes to their mind without editing. This book is created as a collection of questions one would have about the porn industry and answers. And the answers are often unsatisfying. They jumping from one era to another and are leaving everything in-between as it never happened. Or are explaining some parts of the matter in a great detail and are leaving other thing with just a sentence of explanation.

Answers to some questions are filled with too much statistics and references to too many publications, which blurs the message of the answer. Some editing out would be useful to clear up the answers. I admire however authors attempt to show all the different views on all the issues discussed in the book. Given the style of the book it must have been really difficult to mention all the opinions that are popular or unpopular on given subject. What is also valuable is that the author also gives examples of niche porn or porn that serves greatly underserved minorities in pornographies.

[Caffeinated Fae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who is interested in psychology, sociology, and sexology I found this book truly fascinating. I loved how detailed this book was and that Shira Tarrant cited her sources. When reading a psychology book I always want the sources because that just gives me more and more things to research and look into.

I felt that Shira Tarrant did a good job at remaining unbiased in this book. You can tell that she has certain opinions but it didn't feel like an opinion piece which is refreshing especially on such a taboo topic. The research was interesting and well done. You can really tell that the author took their time in writing the book and researching the topic.

I learned quite a lot about the pornography industry. If you're interested in learning something new, I highly recommend this book!

[SerialReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a challenging topic and this book will enable readers to explore these provocative issues and make their own opinion about the past, present and future of this major enterprise.

While I'm not interested into knowing the industry basics I am about those important issues such as the sociological impact of pornography: does porn cause violence against women? Can people become addicted to it? How society responds to that?

Read more on The Serial Reader Blog.

[David Bird · Rating 2 out of 5]

Given the relatively positive review in the New Yorker and that it was published by respected academic press, this book was a profound disappointment. It is set up like an extended FAQ, each section heading posing a question, followed by a couple paragraphs' answer. There's just not that much substance. And Oxford should be further ashamed for bad copy editing.

In its favor, the book is neutral, willing to point out where opponents to pornography just make it up, and proponents claims are not substantiated.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to learn about the current discussions about pornography. It falls short at going deep into sociological or psychological aspects of porno, but I guess that wasn't author's main ambission. Though it might get a bit cumbersome at times with studies, stats and researchs scattered around, it was a good read.

[Nefertari · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of an industry that I really don't know too much about, in the scheme of things. This author does a good deal to dispel myths and put out actual facts, insofar as one is able to get them from an industry that remains in shadows. Became interested in this as I watched "The Deuce," and it's a good companion to refer to as one watches.

[Jimbo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the way this book was set out; a series of questions and answers, but I found the content itself fell a bit flat to be honest. Good if you want an overview of the industry, but if you want to delve a bit deeper there is a good bibliography to work through.

[Adam Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to the pornography industry. Comprehensive and covers virtually every question that a person might have about it.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent summary of the issues. The book's index is poorly done, however.

[Tommy C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am giving this book the minimum rating.

First of all, the book contains the subtitle "what everyone needs to know", but, unfortunately, the book does not contain "all" everyone needs to know.
The book is organized as a series of questions & answers; however, there are several fundamental questions that the author ignores:
- About porn evolution: how has pornography evolved during the Internet era? In other words, what is new in pornography compared to pre-Internet era? What alternatives exist outside of the industry (non-profit porn / amateurism)?
- About porn consumption trends: what are the most popular studios, tube sites and genres? How many porn performers start their career each year? What is the average starting age?
In a time when a consumer can access porn in, literally, two touches on a screen. The answer to those questions can provide an idea of the overall status of what the producers create and what the consumers demand in modern porn much more than studies from almost 20 years ago.

Apart from that, the author makes poor arguments in those few places where she draws a conclusion from the sources she cites (and does not just vomit data...).
For example, arguing about the "damage goods" hypothesis, according to which the porn performers are considered more likely "[to] have low psychological health and self-esteem, with high rates of drug use and shame", the author cites a research (conducted by a porn industry-affiliated association, by the way) which found that "female performers were between three and nine times more likely than the matched group to have used ten different types of drugs" and that "36 percent of porn actresses reported being victims of childhood sexual assault", yet after expressing some concerns about how the study didn't include male or "queer" performers she concludes: "the assumptions and stereotypes that female porn performers are more likely to suffer from drug addiction and abuse is simply not true".
So, all of a sudden, even though the performers in the research tried more drugs (hence, having a greater probability of getting addicted or using some regularly), and a non-insignificant 37% of them experienced abuse, the hypothesis is "simply not true"... OK.

There are more unsound arguments such as the one in the last example, but the most blatant example of poor argumentation I found was regarding the author of "Your Brain on Porn" book and web, Gary Wilson. About him the author states: "Wilson, a physiology teacher with an interest (if not training) in neuroscience, explains that adolescents are extremely impressionable. [...] The constant dopamine release from chronically watching porn leads to erectile dysfunction, even among relatively young men [...]", then she concludes "It is worth noting that arguments such as Wilson’s, although possibly enticing at the outset, are built on flimsy science that reveals more about sexist and heterosexist assumptions than proven neuroscience about addiction and pornography. It also feeds into moral panic about teen porn use that may be unfounded".
The author here ignores saying that although Gay Wilson is not a neuroscientist, he does not need to be one to collect the 54 (up to this date) neuroscience based studies which support and addiction model regarding porn consumption. So, are 54 neuroscience studies "not proven" and "flimsy" science and Gary Wilson does not rely on them, but on "heterosexist assumptions" to cause "moral panic"? Can you hear me shaking my head?

This last example made me doubt about the rest of source interpretations made by the author. Another example of poor source choosing is in the section "What Are the Debates about Pornography Addiction?".
The author cites Nicole Prause, a neuroscience porn-addiction researcher with highly criticized papers (by academic peers) regarding her methodologies and conclusions, who has proven connections with the pornography industry, and who is under trial because of her defamation campaigns against critics where she usually depicts herself as the victim.
Despite this history, the author does not even mention a bit of precaution about this source.

Other than that, regarding PIED (Porn-Induced Erectyle Dysfunction), the author employs just two paragraphs to cite one single article wich says porn does not provoke PIED, but in fact strengthens relationships.
What the author does not even mention here are the thousands of testimonies collected in communities over the Internet (such as NoFap, PornFree or RebootNation) which describe cases of young males recovering from erectile dysfunction after having stopped watching porn. Largely, the author disregards the potential negative effects of porn on health, of which addictiveness (compulsiveness, problematic use, difficulty to stop... you name it) and PIED are the main sources of concern and growing evidence is mounting up.

In conclusion, by and large, this book consists of an incomplete research work, with suspicious source picking and interpretation, dull writing style, and poor reasoning by the author for the most part.

[Romzanul Islam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pornography’s Grip on the Brain, Love and Society: Lessons from 5 Must Read Books on Porn

5 Must Read Books on Porn address the pressing concerns such as what drives human fascination with pornography? This is a question that several authors have sought to answer in profound and thought-provoking ways. These books go beyond mere titillation or judgment; they delve into the historical, psychological, and sociological aspects of pornography, offering readers a nuanced perspective on its evolution and impact on society.

Pornography has become a pervasive force in modern culture, shaping attitudes, behaviours, and even the way we view relationships.

While it may seem harmless to some, the reality is far more complex. From the neuroscience of addiction to the social and cultural implications, the five books we explore in this article provide crucial insights into the hidden dangers of pornography.

Authors like Gary Wilson, Shira Tarrant, Gail Dines, Claire Hines, and Darren Kerr confront the widespread impact of pornography on both individual minds and society at large. In this article, I delve into the profound lessons these experts offer, uncovering the undeniable grip pornography has on our brains and our cultural values.

Explore the whole review piece: https://www.probinism.com/5-must-read...

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very down-to-earth analysis of all the real-life aspects of the porn industry, from the financial considerations to the effectiveness of STI testing. Tarrant takes a skeptical view of any authoritative pronouncements as to whether porn is good or bad, instead she shows the huge variety of players and motives in the porn industry. She highlights feminist and queer porn directors/producers seeking to make “fair trade” porn as well as those who brandish wholly made-up “statistics” to sell their Internet filters or create a moral panic about an activity they find distasteful. She explains the regulations governing the legal production of porn and takes to task those who claim that all porn is based on sex-trafficking as well as those who dismiss those concerns entirely. In this hard-nose style she discusses the limited evidence for claims that porn cause addiction, causes misogynistic/racists attitudes, permanently distorts teenage boy’s sexuality and many more head-line grabbing claims.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

- At this point, porn acting talent are not really making a living wage shooting porn due to the widespread of pirate-cy as well as the crowding of the field. Most of the talent supplement their living with other job such as stripping, events or even escort. In addition, rarely do any porn acting talent last long in the industry - few months is the norm

- For porn acting talent to cross over into mainstream is often a pipe-dream. To this day, none has done it. Not only that, even mainstream actress struggled to be taken seriously once being labeled as a sex symbol - Marilyn Monroe is a perfect example

- "Fluffer" used to be a job, until now with technologies improvement, it no longer needs to be

- STD test is rather common (twice a month through a system called "PASS"), but for gay porn it is less common (but becoming to be)

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

A non-judgemental look at the the porn industry, author Tarrant covers pretty much all the topics, the history and societies viewpoint, as you would probably expect. The Pornography Industry reads more like a research paper and includes an appendix with many cited sources. Though it focuses heavily on the industry in the U.S., it does touch on world views and practices where possible in the time format of the book.

I think this book will be most appreciated by readers who are looking for a sterile, historical look at the industry.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Soroush · Rating 2 out of 5]

The reason that I gave two stars, instead of one, is due to the interesting statistical information given in this book.

This book is slanted towards justifying consuming pornography. It attempts to do so by seeming dispassionate and neutral, when it's not. Throughout the book, to defend the industry and to defend watching pornography, the author relies on a variety of fallacious arguments, such as strawman, which are clear and apparent to whoever that has taken Logic and Critical Thinking 101 in university.

If you're interested in statistical information related to the industry or interviews with selected individuals within the industry, read this book. However, don't take it as a neutral expositional book.

[Brian Gluckman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plenty of interesting facts and figures don't make up for the choppy format and lack of editorial eye. Tarrant tries hard to be as neutral and academic as possible, which does the material a disservice in terms of an overall narrative. The good news is this is a fast read, so if you're looking for a comprehensive overview of the facts of the porn industry, you could do far worse than this.

[Ahmad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not exactly about the "industry" but what defines "porn" as an industry throughout the whole mechanism that has made porn possible and so prevalent and obviously an important issue in the lives of most people on earth. So it's worth a reading.

[Fejer Alzaidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for assignment, effective information

[Vasil Kolev · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok as an introductory text, but lacks depth. It's mostly a survey of the available research without almost any conclusions and little in-depth discussion.

[Emanuele S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un'analisi sull'industria del porno, presentando dati e statistiche in merito. Il testo risulta super partes, permettendo al lettore di farsi una propria idea del fenomeno.

[Vinod Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work if you want to get a surface level knowledge of the porn industry

[Jobair Emad · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average source to observe the industry from a bird's-eye view.