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noreferrer">[42] – such as PornHub, RedTube and YouPorn – were acquired by MindGeek, which has been described as "a monopoly".[43]

The scholarly study of pornography, notably in cultural studies, is limited, perhaps due to the controversy about the topic in feminism. The first peer-reviewed academic journal about the study of pornography, Porn Studies, was published in 2014.[44]

Classification

Pornography is often distinguished from erotica, which consists of the portrayal of sexuality with high-art aspirations, focusing also on feelings and emotions, while pornography involves the depiction of acts in a sensational manner, with the entire focus on the physical act, so as to arouse quick intense reactions.[45][46][1]

Pornography is generally classified as either softcore or hardcore. A pornographic work is characterized as hardcore if it has any hardcore content, no matter how small. Both forms of pornography generally contain nudity. Softcore pornography generally contains nudity or partial nudity in sexually suggestive situations, but without explicit sexual activity, sexual penetration or "extreme" fetishism,[47] while hardcore pornography may contain graphic sexual activity and visible penetration,[48] including unsimulated sex scenes.

Subgenres

Pornography encompasses a wide variety of genres. Pornography featuring heterosexual acts composes the bulk of pornography and is "centred and invisible", marking the industry as heteronormative. However, a substantial portion of pornography is not normative, featuring more nonconventional forms of scenarios and sexual activity such as "'fat' porn, amateur porn, disabled porn, porn produced by women, queer porn, BDSM, and body modification."[49]

Pornography can be classified according to the physical characteristics of the participants, fetish, sexual orientation, etc., as well as the types of sexual activity featured. Reality and voyeur pornography, animated videos, and legally prohibited acts also influence the classification of pornography. Pornography may fall into more than one genre. The genres of pornography are based on the type of activity featured and the category of participants, for example:

Alt porn Amateur pornography Bondage pornography Ethnic pornography Fetish pornography Group sex Reality pornography Porn parody Sexual-orientation-based pornography Straight porn Gay pornography Lesbian pornography Bisexual pornography

CommercialismEconomicsMain article: Sex industry

Revenues of the adult industry in the United States are difficult to determine. In 1970, a Federal study estimated that the total retail value of hardcore pornography in the United States was no more than $10 million.[50]

In 1998, Forrester Research published a report on the online "adult content" industry estimating $750 million to $1 billion in annual revenue. As an unsourced aside, the Forrester study speculated on an industry-wide aggregate figure of $8–10 billion, which was repeated out of context in many news stories, after being published in Eric Schlosser's book on the American black market.[51] Studies in 2001 put the total (including video, pay-per-view, Internet and magazines) between $2.6 billion and $3.9 billion.[6]

As of 2014, the porn industry was believed to bring in more than $13 billion on a yearly basis in the United States.[52]

CNBC has estimated that pornography was a $13 billion industry in the US, with $3,075 being spent on porn every second and a new porn video being produced every 39 minutes.[53]

A significant amount of pornographic video is shot in the San Fernando Valley, which has been a pioneering region for producing adult films since the 1970s, and has since become home for various models, actors/actresses, production companies, and other assorted businesses involved in the production and distribution of pornography.

The pornography industry has been considered influential in deciding format wars in media, including being a factor in the VHS vs. Betamax format war (the videotape format war)[54][55] and in the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD format war (the high-def format war).[54][55][56]

Non-commercial pornography

In addition to the porn industry, there is a large amount of non-commercial pornography. This should be distinguished from commercial pornography falsely marketed as featuring "amateurs".

TechnologyAdvancement

Pornographers have taken advantage of each technological advance in the production and distribution of pornography. They have used lithographs, the printing press, and photography. Pornography is considered a driving force in the development of technologies from the printing press, through photography (still and motion), to satellite TV, other forms of video, and the Internet. With the invention of tiny cameras and wireless equipments, voyeur pornography is gaining ground.[57][58] Mobile cameras are used to capture pornographic photos or videos, and forwarded as MMS, a practice known as sexting.

Computer-generated images and manipulations

Digital manipulation requires the use of source photographs, but some pornography is produced without human actors at all. The idea of completely computer-generated pornography was conceived very early as one of the most obvious areas of application for computer graphics and 3D rendering.

Until the late 1990s, digitally manipulated pornography could not be produced cost-effectively. In the early 2000s, it became a growing segment, as the modelling and animation software matured and the rendering capabilities of computers improved. As of 2004, computer-generated pornography depicting situations involving children and sex with fictional characters, such as Lara Croft, is already produced on a limited scale. The October 2004 issue of Playboy featured topless pictures of the title character from the BloodRayne video game.[59]

3D pornography

Due to the popularity of 3D blockbusters in theaters such as Avatar and How to Train Your Dragon, companies are now looking to shoot pornographic films in 3D. The first case of this occurred in Hong Kong, when a group of filmmakers filmed 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy released in April 2011.[60][61]

Production and distribution by regionMain article: Pornography by region

The production and distribution of pornography are economic activities of some importance. The exact size of the economy of pornography and the influence that it has in political circles are matters of controversy.

In the United States, the sex film industry is centered in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. In Europe, Budapest is regarded as the industry center.[62][63][64]

Piracy, the illegal copying and distribution, of adult material is of great concern to the industry,[65] the subject of litigation, and formalized anti-piracy efforts.[66][67]

Study and analysisSee also: Pornography addiction and Effects of pornography

Research concerning the effects of pornography is concerned with multiple outcomes.[68] Such research includes potential influences on rape, domestic violence, sexual dysfunction, difficulties with sexual relationships, and child sexual abuse.[69] While some literature reviews suggest that pornographic images and films can be addictive, insufficient evidence exists to draw conclusions.[70][71][72][73] Several studies conclude the liberalization of porn in society may be associated with decreased rape and sexual violence rates, while others suggest no effect, or are inconclusive.[74][75][76][77][78][79][80]

Legal statusFurther information: Pornography laws by region and Laws regarding child pornography

Sex and the law Social issues Age of consent Antisexualism Censorship Circumcision Deviant sexual intercourse Ethics Homophobia Intersex Miscegenation (interracial relations) Norms Objectification Pornography Public morality Red-light district Reproductive rights Same-sex marriage Survival sex Specific offences
(Varies by jurisdiction) Adultery Bestiality Buggery Child grooming Child pornography Child prostitution Criminal transmission of HIV Female genital mutilation Fornication Incest Pimping Prostitution  forced procuring Public indecency Rape  statutory marital Seduction Sexting Sexual abuse  child Sexual assault Sexual harassment Slavery Sodomy UK Section 63 (2008) Violence Trafficking Voyeurism Sex offender registration Sex offender registry Sex offender registries in the United States Portals Sexuality Criminal justice Law v t e

World map of pornography (18+) laws  Pornography legal  Pornography