Hi FDS'ers, found this interesting article so thought I would share with those who are interested in studies on pornography as it is very recent, and also draws on previous research so some useful sources are also listed.  

 

Abstract 

This article examines the ways in which mainstream pornography positions sexual violence as a normative sexual script by analysing the video titles found on the landing pages of the three most popular pornography websites in the United Kingdom. The study draws on the largest research sample of online pornographic content to date and is unique in its focus on the content immediately advertised to a new user. We found that one in eight titles shown to first-time users on the first page of mainstream porn sites describe sexual activity that constitutes sexual violence. Our findings raise serious questions about the extent of criminal material easily and freely available on mainstream pornography websites and the efficacy of current regulatory mechanisms. 

 

Link to article:

https://academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/bjc/azab035/6208896

 

Quoted from the conclusion: 

‘The titles we have reported on here are not found by users of their own volition beyond a decision to access pornography. They are not displayed as a result of a user’s search terms or site history, nor are they only accessed through niche sites specializing in violent pornography. They are freely available on the landing pages of the most popular porn sites in the United Kingdom. We contend that users of such sites would have a realistic expectation that none of the material they access through such sites would depict criminal sexual acts, given the prohibitions set by the sites themselves. Similarly, we found that depictions of practices that meet criminal standards of sexual violence, including rape, incest and so-called ‘revenge porn’, are labelled in ways that not only minimize or remove their criminality but often mock or belittle the possibility of harm. The significance of our findings thus lies in this context, a combination of how sexual violence is described in mainstream pornography as well as how it is positioned and how it is found. We argue that it is this broader context that situates the depictions and descriptions of aggression, coercion and non-consent that we found, as normative heterosexual practice.’ 

Stay woke.

Sorry for the link not working, I did test before posting, I have put back in again hopefully will work this time.