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Plots Disappearing From Porn, Thanks to Short Online Attention Spans

by Leila Brillson on July 10, 2009 at 03:07 PM

Whether you overindulge in it or find it morally repulsive, the pornography industry and technology have a very, well, intimate relationship. When the world was deciding between VHS and Betamax, the adult industry chose VHS, and everyone listened. Hopefully, this trend doesn't cross over into content, because, as the New York Times reports, the Web is destroying the creativity behind pornography.

Two notable things: Yes, there apparently is creativity involved in porn, and secondly, since users find their attention spans shrinking, if the story doesn't pick up in the first minute, watchers move on. Vivid Entertainment's co-chairman Steven Hirsch tells the Times that, "On the Internet, the average attention span is three to five minutes. We have to cater to that." So, there goes the loose plots that made classics like 'Deep Throat' and 'Debbie Does Dallas' mainstream crossovers.

With the added accessibility of handheld cameras and streaming sites, anyone who fancies themselves an adult film director can make a movie, getting rid of pesky dialogue and character development. According to Paul Fishbein of AVN Media Network, an industry trade publication, porn DVD sales and rentals generated $3.62 billion in 2006, but have fallen as much as 50-percent since then. People are turning to subscription-based services, where they expect as much action as they do variety.

The only thing the industry can do is take its own advice, and use technology to draw more committed viewers back into the fold. That is, if they miss that grade A acting. [From: NYTimes.com]

Tags: adult, attention span, AttentionSpan, camera, industry, internet, porn, pornography, top

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