Online Pornography and How Interactive Webcams Are Taking Over
Online Pornography and How Interactive Webcams Are Taking Over
Like it or not, since it was written in classic chronicles such as Kamasutra, and sold as adult magazines Playboy and Hustler, the existence of eroticism in the form of pornography has grown rapidly and become part of human culture. It creeps across all lines, all ages, all professions, and everything else. Even though it is prohibited in a number of places and can only be accessed secretly, pornography is basically an industry, similar to music or films, which involves large amounts of money, with actors who have the same business motive: making a profit.
In his article published on the Stanford University website, Frederick S. Lane, author of Obscene Profits: The Entrepreneurs of Pornography in the Cyber Age (2000), mentions four factors that have made the pornography industry a huge success. First, the pornography industry is very adept at gathering and retaining consumers through a series of overt and relatable marketing tactics. Second, there is a lot of advertising in the industry. Third, solid cooperation with other pornography actors. And finally, the pornography industry is smart in taking advantage of technological developments.
These are the four things that make many people believe that money is flowing freely in the vortex of the pornography industry. But how much does it actually produce? There is a lot of research trying to answer this. An old Forrester Research study (1998), for example, put the pornography industry at billion. Meanwhile, Adult Video News (2009) says that more than billion is circulating in this industry. Then, notes from US News & World Report (2007) confirmed that the porn industry had a valuation of billion. In Japan, the porn industry alone has estimated revenues of around .4 billion, with a total production of 20 thousand titles each year. A Forbes report (2001) details exactly how much the porn industry earns.
The fact that the pornography industry earns such a lucrative income is not surprising. There are many business lines, and the number of loyal consumers is countless, not to mention that the internet makes it easier for people to access pornographic films, which is one of the three supporting factors. However, the problem then is that some actors in the porn industry often exaggerate the income they earn.
What makes it so difficult for the public to obtain valid figures for porn industry revenues? Shira Tarrant, professor of gender and sexuality studies at Cal State Long Beach, and author of The Pornography Industry (2016) in an interview with The Atlantic, said there are several reasons why calculating porn industry revenues is not as easy as accessing the porn videos themselves. Not many pornography companies keep—or make—official records containing sales figures for their products to the public. Difficulties also arise because most of the porn industry players (YouPorn, RedTube, and Pornhub) operate in the online realm. Tracking this is more difficult than tracking products that are physically visible, such as DVDs or magazines.
There are many manifestations of the online porn industry but in the last decade, interactive webcams have taken the top spot as the most popular. The era of magazines as represented by Playboy and Penthouse is long over and face-to-face interaction is all that is desired. There is an increase in demand for camgirl recordings from year to year.
Interactive webcams are the fastest-growing sector of the global pornography business. In Romania, thousands of women work as “cam-girls” in studios and from their own homes. It is a 24-hour non-stop business as well as 7 days a week with the majority of clients from North America and Western Europe.
On the sidewalk of a high-rise apartment building in the heart of Bucharest, a group of young women smoke, talk, and laugh, as quoted by the BBC. This is an unusual sight. Except in the bright morning sunlight, their heavy make-up, and shiny high heels, provided a contrast to the summer clothes of passersby.
Inside the building, a studio occupies the first and second floors. Forty rooms in corridors with walls decorated with images of women from various countries in glamorous luxurious clothing. Closed doors mean business is in progress. In the room, a woman was live via webcam with an international client. As long as he was alone in the room, everything was legal. In this world of virtual relationships and cybersex, those in front of the camera are the "models" and the people watching are the "members".
In the corner of the room was a large computer screen, an expensive camera, and behind it, professional studio lights. Dozens of pairs of eyes may have seen Alexa, the woman's name, in her room online and in real-time via adult sites. But the woman doesn't make any money until a member asks her to "go private" in a one-on-one webcam session.
LiveJasmin is the world's largest internet cam host. Between 35 and 40 million users visit it every day, and at any given time, there are 2,000 models online. It's not difficult to understand how the webcam industry generates around USD 2-3 billion annually. Alexa is a graduate who worked in real estate until the global economic crash of 2008 plunged Romania into recession. That's when he first video chatted.
"I was alone in the room, and it felt like there were hundreds of people around me and I couldn't keep up with what they were all saying, and what they were asking of me. It was quite surprising, but then I learned to be perceptive about which members were potentially paying and don't waste time with all of them in free online spaces."
Ultimately, the webcam industry is one of the most profitable business niches in the global porn industry. It provides wider opportunities for women, regardless of all their body characteristics, to earn large amounts of money consistently. For “consumers”, webcam porn is one of the most satisfying forms of service, and most importantly, it can be personalized to their specific tastes.
