So, we looked for a porn marketing agency, or an adult entertainment PR, to guide us through what we can expect the porn industry market to look like heading into the future.
An industry expert discusses the future of porn
Once upon a time, a raunchy magazine and a grainy VHS tape rented from the dark corner of your local video store were the only ways you could indulge in the pornographic arts.
Nowadays, however, virtually the entire porn market is funneled through the endlessly sprawling avenues of the Internet – and for good reason! Being able to access your favourite films and erotic content from almost anywhere in the world is an incredibly enticing prospect for the average, horny individual. But further developments are always sure to come. So, how might these inevitable changes affect the porn industry?
Sarah Ryland, MD of the leading adult industry marketing agency, Adult PR, has myriad connections in the adult industry and has shared her considerable insight on the future of the market.
Let’s make one thing clear: the porn industry isn’t going anywhere
It seems pointless to say, but SEX SELLS. People love it, and there’s no doubt that they will continue to love it.
Despite its ever-lasting popularity, it’s still reassuring to see that the adult entertainment industry remains in such a strong position. Ever since the birth of the World Wide Web, platforms have been created to cater to whatever specific trends emerge from the adult industry. From working in an adult industry marketing agency, I have developed a keen awareness of which trends are nothing but click-bait and which ones are here to stay.
The big question is, as we slowly make our way into the future, what kind of platforms will arise to house these trends?
Mitigating fears
As previously stated, the vast majority of porn is accessed via the Internet. Further to this, the vast majority of Internet porn is accessed for free. This truth has sent fear rippling through many in the adult industry for quite some time.
The seemingly unstoppable presence of free streaming sites has dominated an industry that a participant would have once needed to pay to access. It’s no surprise at all that people are choosing to access porn for free legally, but on the other hand, the filmmakers and stars are providing a service that takes skill. And a skilled service deserves payment.
It would seem, then, that we should be looking for some sort of middle ground. Considering how frequently the average user feels the urge to lock the door and hit play, it’s largely considered that porn services hidden behind a paywall are a little too pricey – especially when there’s plenty of good stuff available for free.
The worry is, with free porn dominating the market, how can paid services compete? How can filmmakers and stars continue to reel in the cash required to produce the content that’s getting watched? And to make sure that everyone is being properly remunerated for their time?
The solution?
Have you ever heard of a little thing called streaming? A relatively unknown platform – I think it’s called Netflix – has started doing it, and we think it’ll be a really big hit! 😉
Joking aside, our prediction at Adult PR is that porn streaming services will be here sooner rather than later. Not only that, but we also think that it won’t be long until they’re considered the norm.
It also must be said that, with any luck, this solution may be widely appreciated from the get-go. Millennials, as well as the other younger generations, are increasingly preaching self-respect and sexual worth. With this in mind, many of those who fall into these categories are opting to pay for their porn anyway – just look at the explosion of OnlyFans.
Much of the younger generation – those who use the Internet most – are striving to bring the adult entertainment industry out of the sleazy, exploitative clutches of market-share holders and empower and celebrate the people that make the cogs of the industry turn by contributing to their livelihoods.
Virtual reality porn
A myriad of technological developments has come about over the past decade. The most significant of which, within the entertainment industry, is arguably the mind-blowing advancements in VR technology, the applications of which have been applied to virtually (no pun intended) all industries – porn included.
The masterful integration of VR within porn is so undeniably natural it just screams FUTURE! The intimacy that humans value in sex has never been truly captured in porn, but VR has taken great leaps to get as close to this as possible.
Where you were once only able to be a voyeur, spectating an intimate scene of which you perhaps longed to be a part of, you now have the option to become a participant.
VR technology is destined to improve greatly, and has already done so over the few years in which it has been the mainstream. With this in mind, it’s inevitable that its integration within the adult entertainment industry will continue to rise.
There is also the possibility that the more intimate an experience you have with a sex scene, the more you will consider the star on the other end.
In some ways, VR may help to keep viewers in tune with the themes of self-love and consent that have so rightfully been brought to the forefront of the public’s minds in recent years.
We’ll develop new solutions for every new challenge
Challenges will always be present in the porn industry. Just take the pandemic, for example. Porn shoots worldwide were forced to cease until further notice.
In retaliation, however, the adult industry jumped at the chance to allow individuals to express themselves as safely and explicitly as they like, with solo performers on the likes of OnlyFans seeing a surge of new sign-ups! No matter what hit the industry takes, a speedy recovery is always on the horizon.
With porn doing so much to affect many people’s perceptions of sex, everyone in the adult industries needs to ensure that the path porn will take moving forward is a healthy one. There certainly seems to be more awareness around ethical porn, and considering the performers as people, than there used to be.
Written by the Killing Kittens team.