Are you back? Good! Heidi's article begs a larger question: "Why is there any new porn being made?" That question cannot be answered without examining the reasons for watching and enjoying porn. I can think of several reasons why porn is so enjoyable:
- Porn provides the viewer with a largely selfish sexual outlet. Watching porn allows me to guarantee my own satisfaction without worrying about whether I am pleasing my partner (shame on you if you don't worry about that; sex is so much more fun with partners who are concerned with the other's pleasure above their own!).
- Porn allows the viewer to explore sexual curiosity that may not be available in real life. I will typically watch about anything in porn (at least once!) regardless of what, in real life, I have already tried, liked, not liked, am not willing to try, or do not have a partner willing to try. This also explains the current popularity of the parody genre--which is misnamed, as it is a simulacrum designed to represent the real-life thing instead of a satirical experience. The "parody" gives us something near enough to its real-life equivalent to fulfill our fantasy of what would happen if our favorite stars on shows got a little frisky.
- Porn fulfills the male urge to sleep with as many women as possible without all the consequences of such a lifestyle.
- Porn is a cheap date who always puts out. I've never had to take a favorite movie out to dinner, had it have a headache, or listened to it whine about me watching other porn movies, have you?
- Technology will continue to improve porn, through higher-quality sensory experience, availability of "niche" content, increased interactivity and personalization, medical "improvements" of actresses (if that's your thing), and other means that I may not even be able to envision.
The second and third reasons virtually guarantee that there will always be a market for new porn: new girls, new interests, new gimmicks, new trends. These desires are hard-wired into the male psyche, and that's good news for porn studios. The question remains, how to make money from it?
One way is to be the exclusive producer of something desirable, whether it's technological improvement or a hot actress. This is not a sustainable model; technology inevitably comes down in price. Loyalty or interest in an actress is a fickle thing--though this is good for an actress who gains a loyal following and has the business sense to market herself to fans rather than a studio.
Another way is to produce a higher-quality product. I remember watching a copy of a copy of "Thunderstorm" starring Jeanna Fine on VHS over and over when I was younger. Today I tend to look down my nose at anything that isn't shot in HD with good lighting and crisp picture.
Another way is to be more responsive to customer feedback. We viewers now have more available input than ever into what porn gets made. Studios frequently have up to the minute access to sales trends, as well as Twitter feedback, retail site comments, and online reviews.
The last way is to connect users to interests more easily. This is happening more than ever, a niche site for people who like girls shoving salmon in their twats can now exist with worldwide distribution where "Girls Who Fuck Sushi 13" would never be at the local rental store!
The flip side of the massive availability of free porn is that most of it is crap. I've watched enough porn that I'm past the initial fascination with people fucking on camera. My greatest criteria for good porn is that the performers have to enjoy what they are doing. This is the great thing for discriminating viewers with the current porn industry problems--it will weed out those who only want to make a buck in favor of those who enjoy what they are doing. It shows on my side of the camera, people!
In its simplest statement, the purpose of the porn industry is to assist the viewer's orgasm. Content producers would be wise to remember that--it's why we are watching in the first place!
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