Should we treat “big porn” in the same way we treat industries like “big tobacco”? Journalist Louise Perry thinks so. In her book, The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, Perry discusses the idea of sexual disenchantment, the commodification of sex, and the impact of the online porn industry on society.

She argues that the multibillion-dollar global industry is qualitatively different from past exposure to porn, as it normalizes extreme content and affects the sexual culture of an entire generation. Perry likens porn to "super stimuli" that tap into the natural drive for reproduction but exaggerate it in a maladaptive way, similar to fast food. She also critiques platforms like OnlyFans, noting that while it may appear to cut out the middleman, the platform itself still profits from sexual exploitation.

Perry expresses concern that despite many people having a robust critique of capitalism in other industries like gambling or junk food, they hesitate to apply the same scrutiny to the porn industry. But that may be changing.

0:00 Sexual disenchantment

0:29 Sex: It’s not private, it’s networked

1:06 A different beast: Digital porn

2:03 The rise of strangulation

3:07 Limbic capitalism & “super stimuli”

4:21 OnlyFans

4:52 The porn industry

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About Louise Perry:

Louise Perry is a writer and campaigner based in London, UK. She is a columnist at the New Statesman and a features writer for the Daily Mail. Her debut book, The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century, is published by Polity.

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