The Pivotal Role of Porn in Shaping the Internet Economy

(Originally published 01/04/2015)

So, I ran across this quote from Star Trek television producer Rick Berman. He said, “Without porn and Star Trek, there would be no Internet.” That’s a notion that I have to say really kind of rang true to me, in a tonge and cheek sort of way. I mean, it’s something you hear all the time. The idea that pornography leads the way with any new technological innovation. That Porn is some x-large percentage of the overall internet Do you ever wonder how much of the internet is actually porn? If it’s such a large amount then wouldn’t it be worth investigating how porn has shaped the web and the internet generally? That’s sort of the thinking that led me to begin thinking about this episode.

Bibliography:

•  The Erotic Engine: How Pornography has Powered Mass Communication, from Gutenberg to Google
•  Obscene Profits: The Entrepreneurs of Pornography in the Cyber Age
•  EroticaBiz: How Sex Shaped the Internet
•  The Unsexpected Story
•  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat
•  https://tidbits.com/article/5833
•  http://internetlaw.uslegal.com/pornography/
•  http://www.internetworldstats.com/emarketing.htm
•  http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
•  http://www.itworld.com/article/2729780/enterprise-software/10-fascinating-facts-about-internet-porn.html
•  http://blog.cytalk.com/2010/01/web-porn-revenue/
•  http://metro.co.uk/2013/07/21/david-cameron-online-porn-will-be-blocked-by-default-3891620/
•  http://nymag.com/news/features/70985/
•  http://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sections/features-issue-sections/10471/siri-piracy-pay-for-your-porn/
•  http://www.thewrap.com/media/article/internet-piracy-killing-porns-profits-1394/

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