As a result of the tech trends we have today, porn addiction is on the rise. With high-speed internet being easily accessible to all. It has made it easier for the porn industry among many others to increase the reach of its commodities.

In the current world, pornographic content is almost everywhere you look. Even if you open your laptop to google some home remedies for a cold, you are sure to come across at least two advertisements for porn websites and services.

Intentionally or unintentionally you’re bound to come across some pornographic material if you log onto the internet.

But, it doesn’t just end there. The trends in technology today are only adding to this problem. With every new trend that comes along, the porn industry finds a new way to exploit it for its own benefit.

We live in a highly sexualized world as is, and the current trends in technology are not helping.  

Trends In Technology

Let’s look at some of these trends in detail. What are they and what role do they play here?

Tech Trend #1 Role Play Games

These are virtual reality games that allow players to engage in sexual activities online. You can play these alone or with other players online. Such games have gotten very popular among the younger generation, as you get to experience it all virtually. 

For a porn addict, this is one step ahead of watching a porn video and it only ends up adding to the addiction.

Many choose such games as a form of escapism to do things virtually that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do in their normal life. 

These games can be extremely dangerous as they are often dehumanizing and objectifying. This can have an extremely negative impact on the mind of the person playing. Research proves that most players often end up getting addicted to these games easily.

Once addicted, they soon lose interest in having intimate relations in the real world. It’s concerning how this method of pursuing porn can greatly impact your personal relationships in horrible ways.

Tech Trend #2 Content Subscription Services

If you’re a millennial, you’re sure to have come across the name “OnlyFans”.

OnlyFans is a content subscription service that allows you to charge for your content. If anyone would like to view your content on this platform, they need to purchase a subscription.

Apart from OnlyFans, there are many more platforms that offer the same services. Snapchat for example has its own subscription service.

Like OnlyFans and Snapchat Premium, there are hundreds more.

These may all seem like harmless platforms for people to share their content. But in reality, 95% of the content being posted on these websites is all sexual in nature.

Softcore and hardcore porn are both available. With unlimited access to free porn on the internet, millions of people are more than willing to still pay for it.

This speaks volumes about the current world we live in.

That being said, the good thing about these platforms is that the content being uploaded here is fully consensual and legal. There is also various other censorship put into place to ensure the safety of all the users uploading their content on such platforms.

This is a big step forward in the right direction. Taking into consideration the porn websites that have for decades posted illegal and unethical content. 

However, for a porn addict, this is just another medium to feed their addiction.

Tech Trend #3 Webcams

This is a service that has been around for quite some time now, but over the years has never gone out of trend. With webcam services, you can connect with another person on the internet, who will then perform sexual activities for you on the screen.

Instead of watching plain old porn, you get to watch porn made for you, live.

People with addictive tendencies often indulge in webcam services often. Mainly because they make themselves believe that what they’re doing is not harmful as there is nor physical/real-life contact involved.

Due to this many often get addicted to such services and experience a great financial loss.

Webcam services are not free.

Tech Trend #4 Chat Rooms and Communities

There is no denying that technology has definitely brought us all closer together. We can connect with anyone at any given moment with just the click of a button. 

There are many forums available online that allow you to interact with other people around the world who share the same interests as you. These exist in the form of online communities and chat rooms.

Be it an online community for Knitting, Cat lovers, Marvel fans, or Flat Earthers, there exists an online community for everyone and everything. 

Similarly, there also exist online communities and chat rooms of the sexual kind. These are platforms where people with different sexual desires can log on to and find other like-minded people. This ends up creating an echo chamber. As everyone around you has the same views and opinions as you, you fail to notice where you’re going wrong.

You end up distorting your reality and even the unhealthy habits begin to seem healthy. 

This is extremely dangerous as these platforms encourage internet porn addiction. They make the addiction seem completely normal in the addict’s mind. This is unhealthy and can have devastating effects on one personal and professional life. 

Research article: The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pornography habits: a global analysis of Google Trends

How To Protect Yourself

If you’re struggling with porn addiction or believe you have addictive tendencies, here are some tips to help you reduce your exposure to such online forums. 

• Enable safe search settings on your phone/laptop, to ensure anything related to pornography does not even by mistake show up in your search results. 
• Install a porn blocker on all your devices, to ensure you don’t give in to your temptations at any given time.
• Make an effort to avoid websites that have frequent advertisement pop-ups. There are many websites like these that’ll bombard you with spam porn adverts constantly. Avoid these websites.
• Do not spend an excessive amount of time on social media. Use it only when necessary. The amount of porn available on social media will surprise you. Instead, find healthier alternatives to help you spend time. 

If you find yourself struggling with an addiction, please seek professional help. There is absolutely no shame or harm in this.

Prioritize your mental health before everything else, always!