The Economist is reporting a study by internet market research firm Hitwise that suggests pornography on the 'net may be in decline:
...the Hitwise data suggest that sex sites are now being dethroned. In Britain search sites overtook sex sites in popularity last October—the first time any other category has come out on top since tracking began, says Hitwise. In America, the proportion of site visits that are pornographic is falling and people are flocking to sites categorised “net communities and chat”—chiefly social-networking sites such as MySpace, Bebo and Facebook. Traffic to such sites is poised to overtake traffic to sex sites in America any day now.
Good news, right? Not necessarily. As the article suggests, "adult" material -- like the rest of the internet at large -- may simply be changing venues. A decline pornographic websites has corresponded with an increase in porn in other areas of the web, such as peer-to-peer file sharing networks, social networking websites, and "virtual worlds" like Second Life.
Parents, don't stop monitoring your kids' internet usage just yet...
Comments (1)
I have attempted twice to write an article telling parents about life online from someone who lives there.
I often see the same general advice repeated from different 'family' organisations and individuals. Some of it is good, some of it bad, but I think those people dont really know enough about internet culture to advise well.
Each time though, my lack of writing ability results in an article that is perfectly correct, but terrible to read.
April 21, 2007 7:51 AM | Comment Permalink