To most, the subject of pornography is confrontational in and of itself, but it would be appropriate for me to explain this problem by including research (and I don't mean "research") and reasoning.
I am not a Psychology major, but I hope to turn such problems into a benefit. For a long time, this was an article waiting to be written, but now I have the chance to discuss the subject with people of this all-too-human struggle; especially since this is an online platform that appeals to Millennials, for we are the ones who grew up with the Internet and need to read this.
I would like to start by stating that viewing adult entertainment is not an isolated part of society, especially since nearly half of all male college students would say otherwise. Although women can get addicted, the overwhelming majority of addicts are male. It is not just young people who suffer in silence, but also celebrities, like Terry Crews and Russell Brand.
And I know what you are thinking: "If that's the case, then I should be fine because everyone else is doing it."
It is a rationalization that is too tempting to conjure, but it does not mean that it is healthy. In fact, it is that reason why this addiction is a societal problem. There are even companies that produce content and are using their business model to attract the demographics most afflicted with addiction.
However, there is also a growing number of young men who are voluntarily abstaining from viewing the imagery.
You may think it's not hurting you. Is it not? As it turns out, there is proof that habitual consumption can cause erectile dysfunction among the young male demographic who typically would not be afflicted by it.
It may also be of surprise to find that it can be as addictive as narcotics. This mainly has to do with the numbing of the reward-seeking part of the brain that produces dopamine, which is caused by seeking whatever can stimulate it. This causes anyone being addicted to escalate their fetishes into darker territory. It may not hurt you in the short-term, but the afflictions are very subtle.
Maybe you would want to do other activities that are more productive?
Even if your "activity" lasts for 15 minutes, maybe that amount of time could have been spent reading a chapter from a book. You may have also basked in your lust as a de-stressor. If you felt sad, stressed, or insecure, you would put on Private Mode and go to work. This is one of the symptoms of addiction; by treating something (alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, etc.) as a de-stressor. This would cause it to become habitual until it rules your life.
Dr. Gary Wilson makes note of a group of young men who are mostly not religious congregating around the action of no longer indulging in the content, which includes the founder of the NoFap Reddit thread and movement. A journalist for Esquire.com powerfully stated that the concern of the addiction does not come from religious figures, but "...coming from young men themselves. From us."
Some claim that this medium liberates women. Does it really? Ran Gavrieli, who has worked with victims of sex trafficking, made it a point in personifying pornography, saying what makes something sexual is, "whatever men find arousing." Such a statement is easily applied to the mad, capitalistic pursuit of filmed prostitution.
A link does exist between early consumption and misogynistic views of women later in life. It would make sense that a medium that can alter your mind can also alter your view of women as sexual objects. What also makes the industry disturbing is not only the dubious consent by the actors participating in it, but also the predatory nature of people in positions of power to influence the youngest demographic to keep consuming it.
But it is possible to change.
As Terry Crews stated in his video, the more people you tell about your addiction, the less power it has. Shame is a major part of why people continue to struggle with their addiction since it makes them unable to seek help. There has not been a lot of scientific scholarship into this branch of addiction because there were not enough case studies, which are increasing with the rise of the NoFap movement. What the proponents of the movement reported is a boost in energy and sexuality.
I do not think that making something illegal will magically cure the addiction. Such a simplistic act of legislation just does not apply to human nature. I would rather live in a world where such industries are heavily regulated and the population is more educated about this type of addiction.
When someone is addicted and he comes out about it, he should not be responded to with shame, rather with the exact opposite –– with empathy; with the understanding that addicts are really ourselves if we were confronted with titillation and exoticism as self-medication for our own powerless, meaningless lives.
The sad reality is I want to believe that the content is harmless. I want to believe that it is a marriage-stimulator and a sex educator, but there is a difference between wanting to believe something and actually seeing it for what it is.
As a realist, I will say that there is nothing glamorous about the medium. It's not a loving relationship nor an exotic adventure. It is all just a meaningless dopamine trip.
