The internet is a threat to the traditional order and so it is not our friend. The North Koreans understand that, even if we do not.
Internet pornography is an awful thing and should be vigorously regulated, advises one British historian. Cybersmut is pretty fearsome, in Tim Stanley's account.
To begin with, there's crime: "The internet turned pedophilia from a private sin into an organized crime."
There's social interaction - er, bad social interaction: "It put people in touch with each other who would never have otherwise met, allowing them to pool resources and share victims."
Pedophilia, of course: "It gave predators access to kids through forums."
Publicly acceptably pedophilia: "By introducing younger and younger models into erotica, it blurred the lines between childhood and adulthood." (Note the way no other media is involved here, despite the article's opening invocation of non-digital advertising)
And addiction: "It also used mainstream porn as a gateway drug... Like heroin, porn has been proven to be addictive." Not to mention addiction combined with serial murder: "Porn addiction is a common trait among serial killers."
There's even fear of recommender systems:
People who previously would never have had access to material by which to test their inclinations were now goaded into more and more depravity (“If you enjoyed that, you’ll love this…”).
The solution isn't simple regulation of access, but deep intervention into content:
We shall never expunge the natural curiosity of the young, but we can at least make sure that the messages they get about sex are healthy ones. (Good luck with that)
Much of Stanley's post dwells on porn in general, without specifically addressing its digital nature. And that's actually interesting, as it's weirdly anachronistic. Stanley reruns 1980s anti-porn arguments without a trace of awareness of either their provenance or having counterarguments. There's a kind of nostalgia to this kind of fearsome internet argument in 2011. Has the meme aged far enough for this to occur?
(via Reasonblog)
Comments