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The diverse economies of online pornography: from paranoid readings to post-capitalist futures

The diverse economies of online pornography: from paranoid readings to post-capitalist futures
The diverse economies of online pornography: from paranoid readings to post-capitalist futures
Anti-pornography campaigners have frequently claimed that porn studies need to take the economics of pornography seriously, yet often this amounts to little more than the idea that pornography is a capitalist product. This article brings together J.K Gibson- Graham’s work on post-capitalism and Eve Sedgwick’s notion of ‘paranoid’ and ‘reparative’ reading in order to think about the performative effects of the narratives we use to talk about the pornography industry. It proposes a move away from a capitalocentric understanding of online pornography towards a ‘diverse economies’ approach: one that demonstrates the multitude of ways in which pornography exists outside of the rubric of capitalism. This helps to avoid the affective state of paranoia and helplessness that narratives of the all-powerful global porn industry so often create, whilst also allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the legal regulation of pornography. The article concludes with some thoughts as to how a diverse economies approach might better enable us to assess recent attempts to regulate online pornography within Britain, noting attempts at regulation may have an adverse effect on not-for-profit, amateur, or peer-to-peer pornography, whilst benefiting mainstream corporate pornography producers.
1363-4607
Wilkinson, Eleanor
b4e83f65-1c06-4c86-b70c-4cd307d2738a
Wilkinson, Eleanor
b4e83f65-1c06-4c86-b70c-4cd307d2738a

Wilkinson, Eleanor (2017) The diverse economies of online pornography: from paranoid readings to post-capitalist futures. Sexualities. (doi:10.1177/1363460716675141).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Anti-pornography campaigners have frequently claimed that porn studies need to take the economics of pornography seriously, yet often this amounts to little more than the idea that pornography is a capitalist product. This article brings together J.K Gibson- Graham’s work on post-capitalism and Eve Sedgwick’s notion of ‘paranoid’ and ‘reparative’ reading in order to think about the performative effects of the narratives we use to talk about the pornography industry. It proposes a move away from a capitalocentric understanding of online pornography towards a ‘diverse economies’ approach: one that demonstrates the multitude of ways in which pornography exists outside of the rubric of capitalism. This helps to avoid the affective state of paranoia and helplessness that narratives of the all-powerful global porn industry so often create, whilst also allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the legal regulation of pornography. The article concludes with some thoughts as to how a diverse economies approach might better enable us to assess recent attempts to regulate online pornography within Britain, noting attempts at regulation may have an adverse effect on not-for-profit, amateur, or peer-to-peer pornography, whilst benefiting mainstream corporate pornography producers.

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Accepted/In Press date: 7 January 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 8 February 2017
Organisations: Geography & Environment

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 400822
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/400822
ISSN: 1363-4607
PURE UUID: 16487318-a9c0-4cf0-b4e9-bec4caa52546

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Date deposited: 27 Sep 2016 15:40
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:29

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