Adults and Broader Impact

Open Access: Yes

Abstract

Although content differences in pornography play an acknowledged role in many theories concerning the use and consequences of such material, relatively few studies have attempted to describe and understand the use of different types of pornography. To begin to address this gap, N = 367 participants who were in predominately mixed-sex relationships were asked open-ended questions about the pornography they used alone and the pornography they used with a romantic partner. A mixed-methods analysis employing both thematic analysis and content analysis to the same set of responses indicated that participants’ responses frequently focused on the gender of the performers, the sexual behaviors they engaged in, and the number of performers present in the pornography they watched. Other content features ranging from the presence of BDSM and rough sex to the race of performers were also mentioned by participants but to a lesser extent. Exploratory quantitative analyses indicated that the content of shared pornography use was more mono- and heteronormative than the content of solitary pornography use. Also, gender differences in the content of pornography tended to be more accentuated with respect to solitary pornography use than shared pornography use. The findings confirm that men and women may be using different kinds of pornography when they use it alone and are the first to suggest that consumers may be using different materials when they use pornography alone than when they use it with a partner. The results of the current study reinforce the importance of adopting content-specific measures of pornography use and suggest a potential avenue for conceptualizing a new taxonomic system for organizing pornographic materials.

Relevance

“When describing the content of their pornography use, most participants mentioned the number of performers involved, the gender of those performers, and the types of sexual interactions between or among them. Many other content themes were mentioned in participants’ descriptions, such as the presence of BDSM and rough sex, the depiction of narrative or roleplay elements, the use of amateur vs. professional content, and so on. Exploratory quantitative analyses revealed interesting differences in the content of pornography that was used alone and with a partner and suggested some gender differences, particularly for pornography used alone.”

The importance of pornographic content is not just limited to understanding the antecedents of pornography use (who seeks out pornography and under what conditions). The content of pornography might also play a role in the consequences of pornography use. Researchers have theorized that users of pornography featuring coercion, dominance, and fetishes may be particularly likely to force a partner into unwanted sexual behavior by unilaterally enacting paraphilic sexual scripts learned from pornography that are not shared by their partner. Other research suggests some users, too, will imitate the specific behaviors they see in pornography, including violence and non-coercion.

Citation

Kohut, T., Fernandez, K., Fisher, W., & Campbell, L. (2024). What types of pornographic content are people using? A mixed-method analysis that highlights differences by gender and relationship context of use. Studies in Communication and Media, 13, 465-504. https://doi.org/10.5771/2192-4007-2024-4-465