(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2016) Almklov, Erik Rochner; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis Aig
Technology and pornography have a longstanding symbiotic relationship. Pornographers have historically relied on technology to distribute personalized sexual experiences to consumers. Emergent communication technologies have similarly found commercial success through the adult industry in the 20th and 21st centuries. A mutually beneficial sex-tech relationship now endures as the modern adult industry exerts significant influence over the fate of new communication technologies. In this paper, I examine the historical role that pornography has played in the mainstream integration of modern communication technologies. I next apply this analysis to one of the most discussed technologies on the market to date, Virtual Reality (VR), to argue that its mainstream adoption is similarly being influenced by porn. The adult industry's early monetization of 360° content, and relevant immersive innovations, are early indications that VR porn may be the next high-tech symbiosis.
