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Pornography Use: What Do Cross-Cultural Patterns Tell Us?

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Cultural Differences and the Practice of Sexual Medicine

Part of the book series: Trends in Andrology and Sexual Medicine ((TASM))

Abstract

Access to online pornography has increased greatly over the past decade. In this chapter we first review purported effects of pornography use. We then present data compiled from one source of internet pornography use, namely Pornhub, and review findings from a cross-cultural perspective. Specifically, we investigate age and gender patterns across various regions of the world and relate pornography use to a number of sociocultural indices. Results indicate changing age and gender patterns with respect to pornography use, as well as relationships with indices of human development, gender inequality, trans/homophobia, and internet access. Given that internet pornography may increasingly serve as a means of sex education in many cultures, the importance of implementing meaningful and balanced sex education that promotes healthy sexual relationships is critically important.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We restrict our discussion to the effects of pornography on viewers and not on those who participate in the industry. Although data are scant, pornography may encourage negative social outcomes such as sex trafficking, racial and sexual stereotyping, and sexually transmitted diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN, USA

    David L. Rowland & Dudbeth Uribe

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  1. David L. Rowland
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  2. Dudbeth Uribe
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Correspondence to David L. Rowland .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN, USA

    David L. Rowland

  2. Chair of Endocrinology and Medical Sexology (ENDOSEX), Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

    Emmanuele A. Jannini

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Rowland, D.L., Uribe, D. (2020). Pornography Use: What Do Cross-Cultural Patterns Tell Us?. In: Rowland, D., Jannini, E. (eds) Cultural Differences and the Practice of Sexual Medicine. Trends in Andrology and Sexual Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36222-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36222-5_18

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-36221-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-36222-5

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