A Poll on Pornography

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Recommended: Negative impacts of pornography on modern society

Pornography is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as printed or visual material containing sexual subjects or activity. Conversation about pornography use is often seen as taboo in today’s society, even though research has shown that “approximately 13% of the US population regularly views Internet pornography” (Twohig, Crosby & Cox 253). Many researchers in the past have focused on the amount and type of people that use pornography, and how often they view it. However, in my research, I wanted to examine something even more intriguing. I examined how pornography, whether viewed or not, influences individuals and their relationships (not only intimate relationships), as well as how it affects society as a whole. I conducted interviews and researched information from previous studies regarding how individuals are affected by pornography (a positive or negative effect). I asked the interviewees their opinion on the effects that pornography has. I found common themes throughout my research that suggest that pornography has an overall negative influence on individuals, and society.

I approached this topic by first researching studies that had already been done on this topic. Then, I wanted to find if my personal research results were parallel with what I had come across in previous studies. I started my personal research by conducting an interview process. I simply opened the subject up to the people that I already knew. I posted a status on the popular social networking site, Facebook. I told my friends that I was doing a study, and if they were interested to contact me. I did not expect a large amount of people to respond, but to my surprise, I had over ten people send me a response asking to participate. I preplanne...

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...ntry/148012>; accessed 15 March 2012. An entry for this word was first included in New English Dictionary, 1907.

ROTHBART, DAVY. "He's Just Not That Into Anymore. (Cover Story)." New York 44.4 (2011): 38-88. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Mar. 2012.

Sabina, Chiara, Janis Wolak, and David Finkelhor. "The Nature And Dynamics Of Internet Pornography Exposure For Youth." Cyberpsychology & Behavior 11.6 (2008): 691-693. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Feb. 2012.

Twohig, Michael P., Jesse M. Crosby, and Jared M. Cox. "Viewing Internet Pornography: For Whom Is It Problematic, How, And Why?." Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity 16.4 (2009): 253-266. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

Yasmiyn Irizarry, et al. "Pornography, Normalization, And Empowerment." Archives Of Sexual Behavior 39.6 (2010): 1389-1401. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Mar. 2012.

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