6 ms·

Facebook Now Responsible for 25% of Hooker Hookups

82 points by lotusleaf1987 16y ago

tokenadult 16y ago
The data reported in the interesting submitted article, based on research in one place by one field investigator, do not support the generalization to the headline of the submission here.
- civilian 16y ago
  Yeah but he talked to 290 women! That's a lot of data...
  - bugsy 16y ago
    Also the 25% number is from the article itself and represents measured empirical data from that pretty large sample set. One could say with more precision, 25% of hooker hookups in Manhattan come from Facebook and there is just cause for that, it's not a fabricated headline. If one wants to then say it doesn't even stand for Manhattan because there was not a survey of all prostitutes, one would have to discard pretty much every national survey result and medical study under the same reasoning.
    - tokenadult 16y ago
      If one wants to then say it doesn't even stand for Manhattan because there was not a survey of all prostitutes, one would have to discard pretty much every national survey result and medical study under the same reasoning. That would be a good idea. But see Peter Norvig (director of research at Google) for what else would be desirable in most research studies: http://norvig.com/experiment-design.html http://norvig.com/experiment-design.html
fat_tony 16y ago
I agree about the editorialized headline, this has little to do with Facebook and it's limited to NY. But the data itself is interesting, if not surprising. Legalizing sex trade would help getting rid of some of the uglier side of prostitution (minors, STDs, physical abuse).
- salemh 16y ago
  Tangentially related: http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2010/09/06/how-censoring-craigslist-helps-pimps-child-traffickers-and-other-abusive-scumbags.html http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2010/09/06/how-cen... "How Censoring Craigslist Helps Pimps, Child Traffickers, and Other Abusive Scumbags" I'm a fan of Danah Boyd.
eneveu 16y ago
"Condoms and lubricant. If the client wants to skip the condom, there’s usually a 25 percent surcharge." Wow. Isn't that risky? Or does it only apply to oral sex? (still risky, but less than condom-free intercourse, I guess...)
- sp4rki 16y ago
  This is very uncommon from blue collar agencies and downwards, but actually an expected service of more upscale agencies and/or freelancer prostitutes. Really expensive escorts sleep with less men in 10 years than really cheap ones in a year or two. Also, it's a given that sexually transmitted diseases are less common in men that belong to the social class willing to spend two thousand dollars for company, therefore they're also less common in the prostitutes this men frequent. There is one thing that you should have in mind though. An escort (whom doesn't mind the unprotected sex) can and will say no to condom less sex a lot of time if the client looks like a shady character that saved 5k for a few months to get the date, when she doesn't know the customer in one way or another, or if she detects the slightest irregularity in the guy's penis' smell or appearance. Condom less sex in upscale operations is a normal thing, but it's almost exclusively done between an inner circle of regular clients, and in some operations all the participants are required to have current blood work and std exams in which they prove they're std free. It's really a game of quality and quantity. The inherent risk is always there, but trust me, you're more likely to get an std from a random hookup at a high scale bar than from the prostitute your governor uses. There are also lower end prostitutes that charge more for condom less sex. This are std and aids infested petri dishes. They're not that common, but are always women down on their luck and are generally addicts.
  - angstrom 16y ago
    Reminds me of this chapter in Superfreakonomics: http://books.google.com/books?id=_Gy-McfqgYgC&lpg=PA26&dq=superfreakonomics%20how%20is%20a%20prostitute%20like%20a%20department%20store%20santa&pg=PA26#v=onepage&q=superfreakonomics%20how%20is%20a%20prostitute%20like%20a%20department%20store%20santa&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=_Gy-McfqgYgC&lpg=PA26&#...
trout 16y ago
Social media timeline: Craigslist->Facebook->Twitter->???->Profit
Enlightenment 16y ago
Finally....something useful from Facebook!
rphlx 16y ago
And approximately 95% of college hookups.
tstyle 16y ago
My favorite part: I asked one of them how pimping experience helps him in the legit economy: “You learn one thing,” he said. “For a good blow job, a man will do just about anything. What can I do with that knowledge? I have no idea.”
adamkaye 16y ago
FaceHOOK?

82 points by lotusleaf1987 16y ago

The data reported in the interesting submitted article, based on research in one place by one field investigator, do not support the generalization to the headline of the submission here.

civilian 16y ago
Yeah but he talked to 290 women! That's a lot of data...
- bugsy 16y ago
  Also the 25% number is from the article itself and represents measured empirical data from that pretty large sample set. One could say with more precision, 25% of hooker hookups in Manhattan come from Facebook and there is just cause for that, it's not a fabricated headline. If one wants to then say it doesn't even stand for Manhattan because there was not a survey of all prostitutes, one would have to discard pretty much every national survey result and medical study under the same reasoning.
  - tokenadult 16y ago
    If one wants to then say it doesn't even stand for Manhattan because there was not a survey of all prostitutes, one would have to discard pretty much every national survey result and medical study under the same reasoning. That would be a good idea. But see Peter Norvig (director of research at Google) for what else would be desirable in most research studies: http://norvig.com/experiment-design.html http://norvig.com/experiment-design.html

fat_tony 16y ago

I agree about the editorialized headline, this has little to do with Facebook and it's limited to NY. But the data itself is interesting, if not surprising. Legalizing sex trade would help getting rid of some of the uglier side of prostitution (minors, STDs, physical abuse).

salemh 16y ago
Tangentially related: http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2010/09/06/how-censoring-craigslist-helps-pimps-child-traffickers-and-other-abusive-scumbags.html http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2010/09/06/how-cen... "How Censoring Craigslist Helps Pimps, Child Traffickers, and Other Abusive Scumbags" I'm a fan of Danah Boyd.

eneveu 16y ago

"Condoms and lubricant. If the client wants to skip the condom, there’s usually a 25 percent surcharge." Wow. Isn't that risky? Or does it only apply to oral sex? (still risky, but less than condom-free intercourse, I guess...)

sp4rki 16y ago
This is very uncommon from blue collar agencies and downwards, but actually an expected service of more upscale agencies and/or freelancer prostitutes. Really expensive escorts sleep with less men in 10 years than really cheap ones in a year or two. Also, it's a given that sexually transmitted diseases are less common in men that belong to the social class willing to spend two thousand dollars for company, therefore they're also less common in the prostitutes this men frequent. There is one thing that you should have in mind though. An escort (whom doesn't mind the unprotected sex) can and will say no to condom less sex a lot of time if the client looks like a shady character that saved 5k for a few months to get the date, when she doesn't know the customer in one way or another, or if she detects the slightest irregularity in the guy's penis' smell or appearance. Condom less sex in upscale operations is a normal thing, but it's almost exclusively done between an inner circle of regular clients, and in some operations all the participants are required to have current blood work and std exams in which they prove they're std free. It's really a game of quality and quantity. The inherent risk is always there, but trust me, you're more likely to get an std from a random hookup at a high scale bar than from the prostitute your governor uses. There are also lower end prostitutes that charge more for condom less sex. This are std and aids infested petri dishes. They're not that common, but are always women down on their luck and are generally addicts.
- angstrom 16y ago
  Reminds me of this chapter in Superfreakonomics: http://books.google.com/books?id=_Gy-McfqgYgC&lpg=PA26&dq=superfreakonomics%20how%20is%20a%20prostitute%20like%20a%20department%20store%20santa&pg=PA26#v=onepage&q=superfreakonomics%20how%20is%20a%20prostitute%20like%20a%20department%20store%20santa&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=_Gy-McfqgYgC&lpg=PA26&#...

trout 16y ago

Social media timeline: Craigslist->Facebook->Twitter->???->Profit

Enlightenment 16y ago

Finally....something useful from Facebook!

rphlx 16y ago

And approximately 95% of college hookups.

tstyle 16y ago

My favorite part: I asked one of them how pimping experience helps him in the legit economy: “You learn one thing,” he said. “For a good blow job, a man will do just about anything. What can I do with that knowledge? I have no idea.”

adamkaye 16y ago

FaceHOOK?