Porn.com: Making Sense of Online Pornography (Digital Formations) Paperback – 4 Dec 2009

Review

"'porn.com' is an outstanding contribution to the emerging field of online porn studies, examining the intersection of online sociability and erotic content, and providing important insights about both. Online fan cultures and a democratization of production have affected the porn industry as they have all sectors of the communication industry, but these new forms represent a diverse range of practices, values, and challenges that defy attempts at reductive description. The chapters of 'porn.com' provide a tour of this new and rapidly changing erotic landscape, and a detailed analysis of the contexts in which these interactions take place. The collection should be of interest not only to those who are engaged in porn studies, but to anyone who wants to understand the broad range of contexts in which online interaction takes place." (Alex Halavais, Quinnipiac University) "The internet has become the key site of contemporary debates around the effects of pornography on communities and individuals. Anxieties are widespread about the impact of online porn on the sexualities and attitudes of young people and on the capacity of paedophiles to establish networks for sharing images. Feona Attwood's new edited collection is a timely addition to this debate, bringing together an impressive range of international scholars on porn studies to explore such themes as the production and consumption of online porn, the evolution of the industry, and the content of sex blogging and amateur online erotica. This book is a valuable contribution to an intensifying global debate." (Brian McNair, University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom) "This anthology positions net porn at the throbbing centre of society. If you're ready for some uncensored scholarship on porn cultures in the digital age, this is the reader for you. Beyond good or evil, 'porn.com' provides us with a broad overview of topics such as child pornography, the working conditions of porn professionals, Web 2.0 cultures, extreme imagery, image rating, and insights into the online 'swinging' world. So let's praise the researchers and blast the moralists!" (Geert Lovink, Dutch-Australian media theorist and net critic)

About the Author

The Editor: Feona Attwood teaches media and communication studies at Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom. Her research interests include new pornographies, online sex practices, and controversial images. She is the editor of Mainstreaming Sex: The Sexualization of Western Culture (2009) and the co-editor of two journal special issues: "Controversial Images" (with Sharon Lockyer, Popular Communication, 2009) and "Researching and Teaching Sexually Explicit Media" (with I.Q. Hunter, Sexualities, 2009).