Porn culture, embodied experiences and knowledge of sexual practices. (March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Stella, Renato
• Is Part Of: Sexualities. Volume 23:Number 3(2020)
• Page Start: 325
• Page End: 341
• Publication Date: 2020-03
• Subjects: Consumer experience -- culture -- pornography -- sexual practices -- young; Sex -- Periodicals; Sex customs -- Periodicals; Sex (Psychology) -- Periodicals; 306.705
• DOI: 10.1177/1363460718791964
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1363-4607

Abstract

Much research has been conducted to date on the online pornography consumption of young people and adults. Very little has been done, however, to investigate its fallout on the sexual knowledge and attitudes (acceptance or rejection) of individuals who are online pornography consumers from early adolescence. In an exploratory study on Online Sexual Activities conducted with a sample of 301 students attending Padua University (between 20 and 25 years old), participants were asked to judge 24 sexual practices based on five options: 'arousing', 'arousing but immoral', 'disgusting', 'unappealing' or 'no idea what it means'. The results showed that online pornography consumption enables individuals to accumulate an encyclopedic personal 'erudition', while it also tends to confirm their orientation towards 'normal' sexual practices, and to reproduce gender stereotypes, albeit in a setting where more 'moral' attention is paid to socially less acceptable online content.