Porn professor investigates how to find sex on the web

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      You've read the headline and you've probably concluded that I'm just trolling for page views. But there is something to back up the bait that led you to this article. I just read a piece in the South China Morning Post about Katrien Jacobs, a media professor at Chinese University, who decided to investigate online hookups.

      She reportedly took a photo of herself naked and posted it on Adult Friend Finder under the name of "Lizzy Kinsey".

      The professor's two-year study is covered in her new book called People's Pornography: Sex and Surveillance on the Chinese Internet (Intellect Books).

      According to the South China Morning Post, Jacobs says that she received six offers a day, but didn't go home with anyone. She also noted there was very little subtlety online.

      "Instead of individuality, the site encourages what Jacobs calls cybertypes, a cliched pornographic version of oneself, with the face cut out, and a one-dimensional username like 'Exotic Allure' or 'Endless Fun'," the paper reports.

      There are many researchers in the United States and Europe who study porn, but it's less common in East Asia. But don't mistake that for porn having any lack of appeal in this part of the world.

      Earlier this year, the film 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy attracted more first-day revenue at the box office in Hong Kong than Avatar achieved on its opening day there.

      On the Intellect Books website, there's a blog post by Jacobs, in which she discusses a viral web phenomenon in Asia called the "Grass Mud Horse".

      Jacobs notes that this Chinese horse figure, which was named after a swear word, was being eroticized by Chinese netizens, which caused a reaction from the state.

      "How can one not like the Grass Mud Horse?" she wrote. "It is a plain looking animal whose teeth are yellow and crooked, who looks silly and dumb and who salivates like a baby. When I heard that the Grass Mud Horse and its entire meme had been banned in China, I had to praise the netizens’ movement for inventing a sophisticated tool against censorship. How can one censor a cursing horse without appearing dim-witted or desperate?"

      Comments

      2 Comments

      Lao Tsu

      Nov 28, 2011 at 9:51am

      I think professor Katrien Jacobs research is flawed. What does she expect to find on Adult FriendFinder? Platonic relationship? It's a 'swinger' website for consenting adults to find sex partner, it's not PG13 website like Facebook for crying out loud. To criticize Chinese for solicit sex on Adult FriendFinder is stupid.

      Komodo

      Nov 28, 2011 at 2:03pm

      I don't think she's trying to criticise Chinese people.... she's interested in understanding the world of sex on the internet.