Reflection on Sex in Cyberspace

The Internet today has become a near necessity of many peoples existence. From even 5 years ago the Internet has become more accessible, fast and user friendly then ever before. The information age has taken the world by storm and the ability of more and more people young and old to access the internet has made it the Information super Highway, however as great as it is, its not without flaws.

Most would agree the largest problem with the internet is the way it fadelessly caters for all sorts of predators. This goes hand in hand with the multi-billion dollar pornography industry facilitated over the Internet. Some suggest, with growing support, that Internet pornography is the “new crack cocaine” (Singel, 2004) – “leading to addiction, misogyny, pedophilia, boob jobs and erectile dysfunction.” The internet is the perfect delivery system of information, thus pornography manufacturers can ride on the back the merit that is the “Information super highway”. Likening internet porn use, or addiction is extreme however it remains to be seen, the lasting psychological effects of heavy and continuous internet pornography use. Singel (2004) quotes Mary Anne Layden, co-director of the Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Cognitive Therapy… according to Layden internet pornography addiction is harder to recover from then addiction to cocaine. The notion here is, cocaine users can be completely rid of their substance abuse problem for good, in the sense it is no longer in their body, whereas images in the mind can remain forever. A major concern is the ability of younger and younger users to have access to such explicit material. The senate inquiry that Layden was a part of, heeded the warning and suggested that federal funded studies should be conducted in to the Physiological effects of pornography.

Largely it would be considered that men would be the core recipient of the “internet porn addict” label, however Marnie Ferree (2003) suggests, that women are not at all exempt. Ferree goes onto to propose, in society standards for women’s behavior limit their expression, especially sexually, and women’s participation in internet pornography or cybersex and the like is way outside those stereotypical boundaries many would expect. Considering the money spent on forms of cybersex exceeds the total amount spent on computer hard-and-software, it is ignorant to ignore this as a growing problem.

Considering these two references were both from more than six years ago, one can only imagine the implications of little to no education to the public, as writing this blog is the first I have ever heard about internet pornography addiction. Furthermore the silent nature of the addiction makes this somewhat insidious industry and problem forever troublesome for psychological professionals in the event of serious implications. The way this activity on the internet harbors the very things in society most of us frown upon makes this in the future a real epidemic worry. I think education for parents and a lot more awareness of the problem is essential, because most internet porn addicts wouldn’t see a way out. Psychological professionals have their work cut out.