This Levitt/Dubner article about prostitution argues that the increased availability of premarital sex hurt the prostitution "industry": http://entertainment.t

This Levitt/Dubner article about prostitution argues that the increased availability of premarital sex hurt the prostitution "industry": http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/book_extracts/article6879237.ece http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertai... Perhaps societal changes are decreasing the stigmatization associated with on-camera participation in the porn industry, and the result is increased availability of actresses? Supply up, price down? Is Reddit's Gonewild the equivalent of the Levitt/Dubner "premarital sex as a substitute good" argument? What about Girls Gone Wild? Aren't the "actresses" trading their time for free publicity? Hasn't the porn industry relied for years on the illicit nature of its product as a means of avoiding consumer price comparison and the free exchange of information? Are online porn reviews preventing second-rate products from being profitable? I recall reading that, as an experiment, one city made on-site ticket scalping legal as long as it happened in some particular place (a roped-off area in a park across from the stadium or something similar), and the free flow of information led to lower prices. As porn actresses achieve mainstream fame (Sasha Grey, etc.), is it becoming more socially acceptable for men to talk to each other about porn and give recommendations? As with car prices, are better educated consumers becoming more powerful relative to the producers? Fundamentally, if there were no social repercussions from participation in the porn industry, wouldn't more women choose to "go on cam" between classes or after the kids go to bed as a means of income? What if a short-lived "career" as a porn actress or stripper no longer carried a lifelong stigma? I believe we are seeing the economic impact on the porn industry as these societal barriers to industry participation begin to decrease. Yes, the OP's linked article is about piracy, but this problem seems like the tip of the iceberg for an industry which is likely experiencing more fundamental structural change. [Note that I've entirely ignored male participation in the porn industry as I've read that the availability of men is not a rate-limiting factor for straight porn. And, I've ignored gay porn entirely.]