Pornography has had a significant role in the promotion and
diffusion of new communication technologies. New technologies have also
altered the nature of pornography in the last few decades. These
technologies include VCRs, camcorders, Minitel, computers, and the
Internet. Pornographic products have served to stimulate interest in
these new technologies, despite their higher initial costs. The
attractions include greater perceived privacy and easier access. As each
of these technologies matures and prices drop, the importance of
pornographic products diminishes relatively, but not absolutely. Another
pattern is the elimination of the distinctions among producers,
distributors, and consumers as do-it-yourself video and computers have
permitted a “democratization” of pornography. At the risk of
appearing indifferent to moral issues, the author focuses on
pornography's importance in diffusing new technologies (VCRs,
camcorders, Minitel, computers, and the Internet), and how these
technologies have reshaped the nature of pornography. Driving this
transformation have been the great capitalist engines of innovation and
the quest for profits. Like war, pornography has served as an agent of
change for both, and similarly benefitted greatly