In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., I began contemplating the future of online Adult Entertainment, and what impact these events (if any) would have upon our business. Here are a few thoughts:
In light of these events, in this week's Webmaster Poll I asked: "Will the Recent Terrorist Attacks Affect the Online Adult Industry?" 50% of you said "Yes," 29% of you thought "No," while 21% of respondents were unsure of the impact that these recent events will likely create on our industry.
Personally, I believe that Internet Pornography (and nearly every other field of endeavor) will be profoundly impacted by the upcoming "War On Terrorism." Here are a few areas that I foresee noticeable changes in:
The War on Terrorism
There has been a lot of Industry ink on the possibilities of an upcoming D.O.J. "War On Porn." Could the US Department of Justice have changed its perceived focus to the War On Terrorism? It would certainly be a more useful (and for us, welcome) expenditure of their resources. While a campaign against our Industry may now be on the back burner, we should remain ever vigilant, and not mistake a shift in focus for carte blanche to do whatever you want, regardless of how "right," "wrong," or legal it is.
An Influx of "Webmasters"
These recent terrorist attacks have done no favors for our already declining economy. Consider the effects of the sudden elimination of many of the best and brightest in the Big Apple's financial sector, and the resulting rampant chaos as the companies that are able to struggle to maintain their operations. Many of these concerns are understaffed, and perhaps no longer posess any facilities to speak of. While some of these businesses will no doubt be able to absorb a number of those recently unemployed travel sector workers and downsized dot-com'ers, what will happen to the rest of these new job seekers?
Well, one thing's for certain; more than a few of them will follow the media hype down the yellow brick road to riches that is the world of 'Net porn. As increasing numbers of tech-savvy workers will soon be competing for those ever-elusive surfers, now is the time to make sure that you have all your ducks in a row, because business isn't going to get any easier than it is now. Or will it?
Agoraphobia
Just as more Webmasters will soon be joining our ranks, so will more surfers: but for vastly different reasons. You see, the expected prolonged War On Terrorism will not be entirely one sided; make no mistake, the enemy is here, now, and we will eventually be hearing from him in retaliation for what our government is about to (rightfully) unleash. Unfortunately, some of the coming attacks upon us may be even more horrendous than those that have just transpired.
People are afraid to fly (and even travel) now, and it will only take another atrocity to convince many folks that staying home is the smartest thing they can do. After all, it's better to learn about a biological, chemical, or "dirty" nuke attack on the NY subway system from CNN than to actually be there when it happens. ...it will not only be their PlayStations that fill the void, it will be porno on the Internet.
As those who feel it's better to hunker down than to unnecessarily expose themselves to public gatherings and vulnerable places look for diversion, it will not only be their PlayStations that fill the void, it will be porno on the Internet. A whole new slew of customers is coming our way: but will they have the money (or desire) to PAY for porn? That remains to be seen:
Paranoia
Fear. Like it or not, it's here to stay. Fear will play a role in politics, the shaping of our laws and legal system, and in issues over privacy rights. Fear will impact our Industry in ways that many do not expect. For instance, I understand that terrorists (and others) embed encoded messages inside of certain graphics files. Yep, apparently the bastards can use porn to spread their plans.
Could a fear of this mode of relatively secure transmission cause the federal mandating of a new graphics format that would preclude such covert communication? Suddenly your giant collection of gifs and jpegs is rendered obsolete and useless, and "they" have the benefit of simultaneously whacking terrorists and porn. Do you really think that such a thing could never happen?
While some of the scenarios discussed here are unlikely, they are all plausible; and illustrate a mere fraction of the available possibilities. Only time will tell what changes are in store for us as an Industry ~ as well as a country, one thing's for certain: things will never be the same:
~ Stephen
