Reading review
Attwood, F (2007). No Money Shot?
Do you agree with Attwood that the Internet has facilitated "new sex taste cultures?" What is the extent of the impact of the Internet on cultural norms surrounding ordinary, familiar, in other words, every day, sex?
Review
Feona Attwood discusses in her 2007 article “No Money Shot? Commerce Pornography and New Sex Taste Cultures” concern about the new internet web sites, where sex is the main focus of alternative participatory cultures. She is interested mainly in two sites, Nerve, a sexual magazine orientated site and SuicideGirls, a site that promotes soft-core sexual displays as a major component of participatory taste culture). Her interest is in how sexuality is recast to fit a broader aestheticisation of sexual representation and how commerce and community are brought in to the production of consumption of sex = sophistication, commerce = community.
Attwood suggests that the nature of participatory culture (in this case “altporn” Attwood, F. (2007).) is crucial in understanding the new kinds of production, consumption and commercialisation that the 21century’s interest in alternative sexual internet sites has created. Technology has played a major part in this. “New opportunities for sexual production and consumption are becoming clearer. It is now possible to create, distribute and access a much more diverse set of sexual representations than before.” She discusses that internet sexual sites are no longer the domain of a male orientated viewing audience, technology and distribution has become wide spread with the inclusion of social networking sites that allow access for a variety of both male and female consumers.
Thoughts
I was interested to read the article. Although I would have to argue that the alternative sexual culture has been around longer than the invention of the World Wide Web. Altporn /burlesque/pseudo sexual could be argued to have been in society since man was able to utilise photography. Pirelli for example, had published a burlesque style calendar which originated in 1967 and continues to present day, prior to the web state and then introduced to the World Wide Web, which has enabled a cyber-orientated altporn society association access in relation to their cyber cultural sexual community.
I digress, there has been many social changes over the past couple of decades, a plethora, incorporated in the usage of web sites that has enabled on line communities expression of their not only sexual orientation but also their identification within a cyber-sexual community. Attwood’s article did allow me to explore in her writing how communities of alternative natures are now more prevalent and accessible.
Attwood, F. (2007). No Money Shot? Commerce, Pornography and New Sex Taste Cultures. Sexualities, 10(4), 441-456. doi: 10.1177/1363460707080982.
Altporn – according to Attwood is also called punk porn or indie porn.
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/potpourri/pirelli-calendar
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