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There are a lot of factors at play here. Porn is ubiquitous which reduces the number of people looking for real-life hookups to satisfy their immediate urges. A

There are a lot of factors at play here. Porn is ubiquitous which reduces the number of people looking for real-life hookups to satisfy their immediate urges. Awareness of the health risks (STDs, etc) of having many partners has probably never been higher. And the economic stakes of an unwanted pregnancy are higher than they've ever been due to increasing restrictions on abortion. If porn were outlawed, contraception was free, and abortion was legal everywhere, I think you would see a lot more young people getting out there and having a good time.

zb3 4y ago
Porn is ubiquitous which reduces the number of people looking for real-life hookups to satisfy their immediate urges Why is that a bad thing? For me the problem is the opposite - it might not completely satisfy it, but if it'd completely satisfy the urge, then wouldn't it be a good thing?
- jurassic 4y ago
  The OP frames sexual loneliness as a problem. I don't think it's a huge leap to say porn is part of the reason why people are having less real-life sex. Morally I have no issue with it, but ease/speed/price are important factors in market behavior. It's why I'm more likely to flop down on the couch to watch Netflix than drive across town to watch a movie at the cinema, or listen to Spotify vs attend a live music performance. The cinema and the rock concert are probably better experiences, but streaming makes everything so easy and cheap I don't often seek out those experiences. Porn access as a causal explanation also helps explain why we see the same problem happening even in Nordic countries where access to abortion/contraception is not a problem and parental leave benefits are far superior to the US.
  - zb3 4y ago
    sexual loneliness as a problem This isn't the root problem though, its consequences are, including how one feels. It's why I'm more likely to flop down on the couch to watch Netflix than drive across town to watch a movie at the cinema So you pick the better option, right? That's why I asked my question, the problem can't be that a better option exists, it must be something else and it should be precisely stated. The cinema and the rock concert are probably better experiences, but streaming makes everything so easy and cheap I don't often seek out those experiences. So overall they're better only if you exclude their negative consequences.
- somenameforme 4y ago
  Get out of the house, meet people (even if only in the pursuit of getting laid), inadvertently make relationships in the process of just trying to get laid, find that special somebody. Or stay at home, jerk off, and then go browse the web. Basically the urges we all have, even if they can obviously lead to some awful things, are also the process of aeons of evolution. And they've shown themselves to be remarkably effective at keeping our species alive and healthy even when we knew nothing at all about our world beyond what we might randomly intuit. Having a 'shot' that can pleasantly "fix" those urges is not necessarily a good thing.
  - zb3 4y ago
    Basically the urges we all have, even if they can obviously lead to some awful things, are also the process of aeons of evolution. And they've shown themselves to be remarkably effective at keeping our species alive Ah, so the disagreement stems from the fact that you don't think those are all awful things. I'm afraid I can't explain it further on HN..

zb3 4y ago

Porn is ubiquitous which reduces the number of people looking for real-life hookups to satisfy their immediate urges Why is that a bad thing? For me the problem is the opposite - it might not completely satisfy it, but if it'd completely satisfy the urge, then wouldn't it be a good thing?

jurassic 4y ago
The OP frames sexual loneliness as a problem. I don't think it's a huge leap to say porn is part of the reason why people are having less real-life sex. Morally I have no issue with it, but ease/speed/price are important factors in market behavior. It's why I'm more likely to flop down on the couch to watch Netflix than drive across town to watch a movie at the cinema, or listen to Spotify vs attend a live music performance. The cinema and the rock concert are probably better experiences, but streaming makes everything so easy and cheap I don't often seek out those experiences. Porn access as a causal explanation also helps explain why we see the same problem happening even in Nordic countries where access to abortion/contraception is not a problem and parental leave benefits are far superior to the US.
- zb3 4y ago
  sexual loneliness as a problem This isn't the root problem though, its consequences are, including how one feels. It's why I'm more likely to flop down on the couch to watch Netflix than drive across town to watch a movie at the cinema So you pick the better option, right? That's why I asked my question, the problem can't be that a better option exists, it must be something else and it should be precisely stated. The cinema and the rock concert are probably better experiences, but streaming makes everything so easy and cheap I don't often seek out those experiences. So overall they're better only if you exclude their negative consequences.
somenameforme 4y ago
Get out of the house, meet people (even if only in the pursuit of getting laid), inadvertently make relationships in the process of just trying to get laid, find that special somebody. Or stay at home, jerk off, and then go browse the web. Basically the urges we all have, even if they can obviously lead to some awful things, are also the process of aeons of evolution. And they've shown themselves to be remarkably effective at keeping our species alive and healthy even when we knew nothing at all about our world beyond what we might randomly intuit. Having a 'shot' that can pleasantly "fix" those urges is not necessarily a good thing.
- zb3 4y ago
  Basically the urges we all have, even if they can obviously lead to some awful things, are also the process of aeons of evolution. And they've shown themselves to be remarkably effective at keeping our species alive Ah, so the disagreement stems from the fact that you don't think those are all awful things. I'm afraid I can't explain it further on HN..