Porn Addiction in the Digital Age

Since the invention of the internet, the world has seen a drastic change in the way people interact online. Now that the internet exists, what took time and planning to achieve can now be acquired in seconds. In terms of sexual and porn addiction, this is incredibly dangerous.

To learn more about porn addiction in the digital age, keep reading below!

Sexual Addiction and Porn

While the internet completely transformed the modern world in many ways, it also introduced it to a whole new level of addiction. Sexual addiction and porn have been around long before the internet but since its invention, they have gotten much more prominent and dangerous.

What is sexual addiction?

To understand the detrimental effect of the digital age on sexual addiction, you should first have a clear understanding of the addiction itself. Sexual addiction is the compulsive need to engage in sexual acts to fulfill a desire and achieve a “high.” It’s not like a drug addiction where alcohol or medication is needed for a high. Rather, the individual is seeking an experience that will produce the high for them. In many ways, sex is the substance.

Who can experience it?

While there is a social stigma that states men are more likely to have sexual addictions, there are plenty of women who experience it as well. Sexual addiction also knows no age limit and can affect people of all ages, young and old. 

The effects of porn

With the invention of porn, there has been an increase in sexual addiction amongst adults. This is because porn offers addicts an easy way to feed their desires with minimal personal interaction and relative privacy.

The Triple-A Engine

At some point, all sexual addicts who interact with porn fall victim to the Triple-A Engine. This evolved when the internet was born and it stands for accessibility, affordability, and anonymity. You can see the dangers of the Triple-A Engine by looking at the difference between sex and porn before the internet and after it. 

Sex and porn before the internet

In the past, those affected by sexual addiction and porn had to go to great lengths to feed their addictions. Not only did it require time and money to seek triggers in magazines, video tapes, strip clubs, etc, but it also necessitated a level of sneakiness. If you wanted to go to the adult movie store to pick up a few DVDs, you needed to plan when and where and sneak around in the hopes that no one you knew would see you. 

Sex and porn after the internet

Now, after the internet, all it takes to feed sexual addiction is a few clicks on a computer or smart device and you instantly have access to everything free of charge. There’s no need to go into a store and potentially expose yourself to the embarrassment of being caught by someone you know. Now, you can hide in your home and feed your addiction in complete privacy. 

As you can see, the internet brought with it a high level of accessibility, affordability, and anonymity. This makes it easier for sexual addicts to dig deeper into their desires without any barriers or the fear of getting caught holding them back. 

Why Porn is So Dangerous

The Triple-A Engine leads sexual addicts down a dark and secretive road. It also introduces new levels of concern regarding interaction, portability, and safety. These are what make porn so dangerous!

Interaction

The interaction found on the internet provides a much more inclusive experience than any other form of entertainment on the market. For example, think of porn magazines. When these were the only way to feed a porn or sexual addiction, a user would only get 20-30 images per magazine. The excitement from viewing them would wear off quickly as the images because familiar and boring. 

With the internet, however, that changes. Instead of being stuck with the same static images, now addicts can explore endless content that always holds their interest for far longer. In some ways, they might even be able to interact live with the person on the other side of the screen! This easy interaction can take an addiction to a new level.

Portability

Before the internet, keeping a stash of porn magazines and videos was a difficult task that required expert hiding skills and secret spots from spouses and children. For phone calls, you needed a private place away from the family phone line and for in-person encounters, you needed a private location away from home. All of these situations require a lot of space, making them hard to conceal.

Fast forward to post-internet, and all of these interactions can be hidden away digitally on a flash drive no bigger than a thumb. No more hiding things in boxes in the garage, sneaking out late for sexual encounters, or using private phone lines for conversations. The portability of porn can make any sexual addiction worse. 

Safety

With the digital age also comes the increase in safety. Since you no longer have to meet your sexual partners in person, or at all, there is no increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases, physical altercations, or the possibility of arrest. In other words, the internet provides a safety shield against the outside world, so you can feed your addiction in private with little to no consequences. 

Seeking Recovery

Are you struggling with porn and sexual addiction? If so, you’re not alone. Since the invention of the internet, there has been a drastic increase in people struggling with porn and sex addiction. At Coeur d’Alene Counseling, we know it can be confusing and embarrassing. However, we are here to help you through it.

Don’t keep suffering in silence! Call us today and schedule an appointment. We want to help you fight your addiction and seek a healthier, happier lifestyle.