Corona Porn: From Fat Profits to Ruined Psyches

The coronavirus pandemic has deeply affected all spheres of human endeavour, including the shadiest ones. Like many other businesses, the sex industry has had to undergo a radical transformation. With COVID-19 restrictions still in place worldwide, an increasing number of sex workers turn to the internet to stay afloat and draw scores of users searching for spicy content. While the trend’s resulted in fat profits for porn sites and porn movie directors, they may have severe societal repercussions. Watch the premiere of the final episode of Price of Vice on Thursday to learn more!

The business of sensual pleasure has always been highly profitable for its owners. But in the 21st century, this hitherto marginalised area has turned into a booming sex industry. Much of the latest internet technology owes, if not its existence, then its popularity to the adult entertainment industry. The COVID pandemic has hit the sex industry hard, with brothels shut down and prostitutes losing clients. They’ve been rallying against anti-COVID measures throughout the past year. Sex worker unions have been launching fundraisers to help those who lost their jobs. Those who managed to stay in the industry had to adapt to the new circumstances.

“So, thank you so much! My nose exploded, and I don’t like it much,” says Pierre Woodman, one of the most reputed porn movie directors.

“But we have to do it, so we do COVID tests, we do the PCR full-blood test. We are the cleanest people on Earth, thank you so much! But, yeah, it’s a catastrophe”. Though sex workers’ noses are likely to continue to suffer because of ongoing PCR tests, porn makers’ fears turned out to be misplaced. This segment of the sex industry has profited from the pandemic. Pornhub, the leading online adult entertainment platform, reported about 12% traffic growth worldwide during the lockdown period of 2020. It jumped by 57 % in Italy, by 38% in France, and by 61% in Spain.

Experts say this trend proves millions of triple-X video viewers are well and truly hooked. They don’t want to give up their entertainment. The porn culture accounts for at least a third of internet traffic, with newcomers arriving all the time.

“For example, according to statistics, about 115 million people visit one of the world’s most famous porn sites every day,” says Vladimir Zazhmilin, executive board member of “The Country’s Future”, a Russian charity foundation.

While the triumph of the porn industry is generating handsome profits, psychologists and psychiatrists sound the alarm saying it may have severe societal repercussions, with the younger generation being the main risk group.

“There’s a concept called ‘porn addiction’ when a person develops a psychological dependency on pornographic materials,” says Maksim Kamenskov, DMSc forensic psychiatrist.

“In recent years, we’ve seen a pattern where 85% of pornographic content includes scenes with rough behaviour. It’s believed this can lead people who are predisposed to engage in aggressive behaviour in everyday life. About 25% of adolescents report clinical signs of this kind of addiction”. While the number of supporters of legalising porn is increasing worldwide, such legalisation’s medical and social consequences are rarely brought up. Research indicates that porn addicts are often prone to perverted and aggressive sexual behaviour.

“I some cases, pornography really can trigger some abnormal sexual behaviour. We’ve witnessed several clinical cases where having seen some pornographic materials, the subjects tries to replicate in real life what they’d seen on screen”, adds Maxim Kamenskov.

At the same time, the opposite extreme cannot be ruled out, either: that sexual desire may be lost entirely. Despite the rapid proliferation of the above-mentioned side effects among porn lovers, porn industry tycoons continue to defend their cause stressing its possible positive use.

“Some countries think it’s better to erase pornography – this is a big mistake!” says Pierre Woodman. “The place where you have the biggest psychopaths on the planet, the biggest killers, this is the place where there’s no access to porn. Some doctors in the Netherlands use pornography to cure some psychopaths and some people. It’s official; it’s not a joke! However, psychiatrists do not seem convinced.

“Indeed, there are some specialists who’ve tried to use pornographic material in their practice, but it ended quite badly for their careers. This type of treatment is not supported by many specialists,” says Maxim Kamenskov.

“Don’t forget that the porn industry’s global income for a year is more than $100 billion. So, it’s a business. And, those engaged in this business will protect it”.