The data is in — basically, everyone enjoys porn.
We do it in private, behind closed bathroom and bedroom doors, or maybe with a trusted partner; the use of pornography is as widespread as the stigma against it. From romance novels to raunchy pics and videos, the data adds up — basically, it seems that everyone enjoys erotic entertainment in some form or another. So how many of us are watching, who are we, and what are we searching for?
Analytics suggest that consuming porn, particularly videos viewed over the internet, is a ubiquitous habit. The numbers are staggeringly large, but not surprising — according to statistics released by the internet’s largest porn provider, their site alone averaged 81 million visitors per day in 2017 (28.5 billion visitors for the year), with 24.7 billion searches performed. That translates to roughly 800 searches per second, a statistic which their report helpfully relates to the number of hamburgers per second sold by fast food giant McDonald’s. In total, 595,482 hours of video were uploaded to their site, which is 68 years of porn if watched continuously. That’s only one website, for one year — it’s safe to extrapolate that usage is far higher when considering other sources and forms of erotica that are more difficult to find data on.
When sorted by visits to the same website, the United States tops the ranks of porn use, followed by the United Kingdom, India, Japan, and Canada. Visits soared in some places — particularly Ethiopia, which rose 68 places in the ranking in the course of the year. Unsurprisingly, people seem to watch porn mostly at night, with the highest traffic consistently between 11pm and 1am.
Possibly more surprising is the shrinking gender gap reported in a 10 year meta analysis which found that men had only slightly higher usage numbers than women. According to a report by ATTN, in 2014, 79% of 18 to 30-year-old American men watched internet porn at least once per month, barely exceeding 76% of 18 to 30-year-old American women. That number is on the rise, too — every top 20 country except Russia saw an increase in female visits versus 2016, and searches for “porn for women” increased over 1400%.
Erotic expression is clearly something many of us enjoy, then; but what we choose to partake in encompasses a wide variety. “Lesbian” has long been — and continues to be — the most sought after genre, followed by “hentai” (anime porn), “milf,” “stepmom,” “stepsister,” and “mom.” The search terms that trended were even more interesting — terms like “Rick and Morty” and “Fidget Spinners” suggest novelty is the key to excitement for jaded consumers. Whatever floats your boat, we hope the power of the written word will stir your imagination and keep MyErotica high on your ‘favorites’ list!
The numbers don’t lie; almost everyone is enjoying some form of pornography. We’re sexual creatures by nature, and erotica is a natural extension and expression of that sexuality. Studies have shown that the enjoyment of erotica increases both arousability and romantic harmony. Despite current anti-porn sentiment in certain political circles, conscious and responsible porn use is a healthy habit that is past due to be accepted as part of our everyday sex lives.
References
- Bahadur, Nina. “Women Are Way More Into Porn Than Many Think, Suggests Survey.” The Huffington Post. November 18, 2013. Accessed February 23, 2018. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/women-and-porn-survey-ann-summers-sex_n_4297183.html
2. Both, Stephanie, Spiering, Mark, Everaerd, Walter, and Laan, Ellen. “Sexual behavior and responsiveness to sexual stimuli following laboratory‐induced sexual arousal.” The Journal of Sex Research 41, no. 3 (2004): 242–58. doi:10.1080/00224490409552232
3. Crandall, Diana. “Here’s Who Is Actually Watching Porn.” ATTN: December 11, 2015. Accessed February 23, 2018.
4. Petersen, J. L., and Shibley, J.S. “A meta-analytic review of research on gender differences in sexuality, 1993 — 2007.” PsycNET. Accessed February 23, 2018. shttp://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-24669-00
5. Leigh, Allison. “The Key to Desire.” MetArt Blog. Accessed February 23, 2018. 6https://www.metart.com/blog/20180216/The_key_to_desire__how_to_unlock_this_life_enhancing_drive
6. Silver, Curtis. “Pornhub 2017 Year In Review Insights Report Reveals Statistical Proof We Love Porn.” Forbes. January 09, 2018. Accessed February 23, 2018. /https://www.forbes.com/sites/curtissilver/2018/01/09/pornhub-2017-year-in-review-insights-report-reveals-statistical-proof-we-love-porn/#1897f61424f
7. “2017 Year in Review.” — Pornhub Insights. January 19, 2018. Accessed February 23, 2018. 5https://www.pornhub.com/insights/2017-year-in-review
