TORONTO — Information technology researcher Maggie MacDonald released a video Friday explaining “how content creation, algorithms, media amplification and panicky policy have shaped how porn looks today.”
MacDonald, a University of Toronto Faculty of Information academic, released the video, titled "Porn, Platforms & Sex Panic,” through her YouTube channel, Internet Maggie.
“The Internet in 2023 is absolutely packed with free porn... but how did we get here?” MacDonald asks at the beginning of the video, before offering a nuanced analysis of the evolution of content platforms — both mainstream and adult — the moralistic forces warping public discourse about sexual expression, and the effect of the war on porn on society's ability to tackle important issues concerning internet culture and practices.
The YouTube page for the video includes an extensive bibliography with articles about the topics discussed, including XBIZ’s January 2021 cover story, “The New War on Porn: How Moral Crusaders, Mainstream Media and Politicians Are Gunning for XXX.”
For more on Maggie MacDonald’s research on pornography platforms, visit InternetMaggie.com.