How the adult entertainment industry shaped modern internet culture and data tracking

Pornographic content has grown into a fixture of mainstream social media following the arrival of OnlyFans, though the impact of the adult entertainment sector on internet culture actually stretches back decades. In a recent podcast episode, hosts Marianna Spring and Matt Shea are joined by journalist Patricia Nilsson, who has conducted extensive reporting on the secretive figures steering Big Porn and the financial models driving the industry.

During the discussion, the group explores the groundbreaking data tracking methods originally introduced by tube sites to monetise user attention. They also examine the complex regulatory compromise between online safety and personal privacy, alongside the discussion of how internet anonymity might be driving a rise in more extreme pornography fueled by basic human instincts.