Prof Gail Dines writes an interesting article in The Guardian titled: All authentic desire is rendered plastic by this multi billion-dollar industry.
“It is no accident that the International Consumer Electronics Show takes place in Las Vegas at the exact same time as the expo. Porn has helped drive the technologies that expand its own market. According to Jonathan Coopersmith, a historian of technology, porn has proven to be a reliable, highly profitable market segment that has accelerated the development of media technologies, from VCRs and DVDs to file-sharing networks, video on demand for cable, streamed video over the internet for PCs, and, most recently, video for mobile phones. Video uses vast quantities of data, and the demand for porn has driven the development of core cross-platform technologies for data compression, search, transmission and micro-payments. File-sharing networks such as Kazaa, Gnutella and Limewire are better known for music, but are widely used for porn video files too.”
But just like at CES, it is money that drives the industry. Guess it was ever thus. But never once have I heard any mention of the porno industry in the Cambridge Cluster. And long may that remain so.
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