Pornographic material has been around for ages and is easily available with the prevalence of the Internet. But that in no way justifies an addiction to it, says Issues For Girls & Boys
The Lure Of Smut
Connect and click. And there you are, catapulted into the World Wide Web. Maybe you search the web for "teens" or "relationships" somewhere on this virtual world and accidentally clicked on a certain link. Hey... what's this? You know that it has got nothing to do with what you originally intended to search for, but you click on it anyway. And find yourself staring at pure, unadulterated X-rated stuff. That is how infuriatingly simple it is to get started on Internet pornography. A simple search of keywords like "porn" or "sex" in various search engines brings up about 38, 600, 000 to 70, 200, 000 websites in less than a second. Saturated with steamy images, the Internet effortlessly brings sexual enticement right onto your computer screen. Anyone with a computer and modem can access these web sites offering porn staples from "skin" images to hard-core images.
And no thanks to interactivity features on the Web, on can do more than just ogle and fantasise in front of the computer. Widely accessible are chat rooms and e-groups, which link strangers with the same sexual interests together. Users assume and develop online identities when in chat rooms to remain anonymous while having the freedom to participate in cybersex and cyber relationships.
Porn Harms
"But come on, it's just visual stuff. What's so bad about viewing fleeting images of naked bodies or talking sexy with a stranger on the Internet?" You may protest. The thing is, the harm is subtle but dangerous. Porn addicts spend a considerably large amount of time on the Internet, and those fleeting seconds of images add up to quite a lot. Not just any one porn site is visited at a single time, as sites usually have links to other similar sites. And since search engines typically threw up an enormous number of porn web sites whenever porn-related words are entered in the search, users are literally spoilt for choice. Teens are at the stage where self-identity is being built and shaped. Compulsive and obsessive involvement with porn, cybersex and cyber relationships can result in problems of low self-esteem. Sometimes, the reverse is true. Teens with low self-esteem may seek to indulge in what they perceive as "safe" relationships with virtual images and unknown cyber partners, since they do not have to meet in person.
Obsessive Net surfing for porn over a period of time leads to a neglect of one's priorities. This is especially devastating for teenagers, whose main priorities lie in studies and other healthy activities. Teen porn addicts can become so preoccupied with their habit that they close off from friends, fall out with family and even lose touch with the real world. In addition, a teen porn addict often struggles with a guilty complex. He or she is aware that what he or she is doing is wrong, but is unable to find the will power and determination to overcome it. Addicts live in fear that their dirty cyber secret gets leaked out one day. They know that when girlfriends, boyfriends or parents discover their secret, they will be shocked and sorely disappointed. Relationships can be jeopardised over some air-brushed images a porn addict cannot live without. It is easy to maintain these relationships without revealing anything about their true selves, and so many of them hide behind the anonymity that the Internet offers them. After all, no one will know whether they are fat or thin, ugly or pretty. The downside of this is that one's true personality will not get a chance to develop healthily. Even though many addicts claim that cyber relationships boost their self-esteem, the effect is only temporary. Many of them get so used to retreating into their "shells" that they do not have the confidence to handle relationships in real life.
Pornography also demeans women. Females are portrayed as decorative ornaments, where all that matters is cup size. Many girls develop unrealistic expectations of their own bodies when they compare themselves to these air-brushed digitally-enhanced "perfect" figures. As a result, inferiority complexes may develop. Women in pornography are typically shown in poses subordinate to men. Sometimes, they are portrayed as willing victims of masochistic practices or sexual violence. Guys who are porn addicts latch onto these unrealistic notions to validate their masculinity through "beautiful" and unavailable women. They may go in search of an ideal girlfriend based on virtual images, instead of rationalising and connecting to reality. They often form unachievable expectations of partners and build relationships on the basis of physical appearance. But the scariest thing is that the ill effects of pornography will outlast adolescence and continue to act as an unwholesome influence in adulthood. A porn addict who spent teenage years fantasising about non-existent women will find it hard to connect emotionally with real women. This is because pornography belittles the natural and mature aspects of relationship and play up only the physical aspects.
Not As Private As You Think
Think you're alone in the privacy of your bedroom behind shut doors and drawn curtains? Think it's just you and the women (or men) on your computer screen? In the World Wide Web, there are mechanisms that enable a web site to record each of your comings and goings. They can trace when and where you log in and out of the site, usually without your knowledge or consent. These sneaky mechanisms are known as "cookies". Cookies are stored in the user's computer without his or her consent or knowledge. For example, when you select a category of interest in a search engine, the Web server generates a specific cookie, which is basically a labelled string of text enclosing your choices and preferences. The next time you direct your Web browser to show a particular Web page from this server, your browser will automatically trasmit the cookie containing your personal information to the Web server. In short, it remembers you, keeps track of your browsing habits and can even trace your navigation from site to site.
Major Tell-tale Signs Of Internet Porn Addiction
As with all bad habits, Internet Pornoraphy creeps up on you without you even realising it most of the time. Ask yourself these questions to see if you are at risk:
- Do you feel increasingly preoccupied with the Internet?
- Do you spend a massive amount of time on the Internet because you need to maintain an online relationship or launch extensive web searches for pornoraphy?
- Do you find it very difficult to control your use of the Internet?
- When you try to control your use of the Internet, does it result in feelings of irritability or agitation?
- Are Internet pornoraphy or cyber relationships a way of relieving stress, solvin problems and venting frustrations for you?
If you say "yes" to any of the above and often have to conceal or lie about your use of the Internet from family and friends, chances are you are addicted to Internet pornography or cyber relationships. Internet Pornoraphy addiction is insidious and habit-forming like alcholism and smoking. do not be afraid or ashamed to seek help when you find yourself mired in such vices. You can approach a trusted family member, teacher, mentor or friend to help you nip the problem in the bud. Do it today!
Labels: Internet porn addictions, lure of smut, porn, porn addictions, porn harms, pornography, the lure, torn by porn, torn by pornography
