[vsp]

Originally posted by socrates
[b]I was amazed a couple of years ago, when I first went online, about the amount of pornography which floated about in cyberspace. Being a sociology scholar, I naturally pondered on this and asked many questions in my head as to why and how and what and where and if etc etc.

I'm amazed that _you_ were amazed, honestly.

For various reasons, religious and otherwise, many countries and societies have well-known taboos about displays of nudity and/or sexual activity. Where the line is drawn between "art" and "porn" is always open to debate -- our courts here in the US certainly haven't found any easily-applicable standards, and taboos will vary widely from group to group.

The Internet is a venue where those who wish to purchase or consume nude/sexual media don't have to skulk in the shadows, deal with angry and morally-disapproving neighbors, travel to sleazy shops on the wrong side of town, or sneak materials around under plain brown wrappers. There's little to no human contact involved in most transactions (adult or otherwise); no salesclerks to deal with, no faces to remember, no chance of someone walking by and saying "Hey! [your name]! How are you doing... say, is that an inflatable sheep and a Rotating Butt-Blaster you're buying there?" Generally, the decision of what to view and what to purchase is strictly between the consumer and his/her credit card.

It's also incredibly easy for content providers to get started on the Internet. An email address and a web site's about all you need to say "Hello world, I'm offering [content], come and buy it" and have people actually find your offerings. Increasingly-ubiquitous webcams offer those of an exhibitionist bent an opportunity to bare themselves to the world (metaphorically, literally, or both) and express themselves. Online stores allow easy sales of products that might well run afoul of zoning regulations, local laws, picketing neighbors and more in a brick-and-mortar environment.

So, combine a venue essentially free of sales/content prohibitions, relative anonymity for consumers, and the forbidden-fruit nature of the product, and what do you get? Massive bandwidth overload, that's what you get.

Another question came to mind. I am a christian and believe this stuff is morally wrong. But whose to say I am correct?

You are to say that... for YOURSELF. Morality is not a black-and-white issue; everyone looks at issues and concepts a little differently. Each person draws their own beyond-this-point-is-unacceptable line.

Prohibitions against minors in sexual contexts are there for the obvious reason -- minors are not considered mature enough to consensually agree to participate.

Beyond that, in the realm of consenting adults, all bets are off. If your next-door neighbors have an adult webcam and you're disgusted by it, you're obviously not a consenting viewer -- and there's nothing wrong with that in and of itself. If their actions violate your morals, you have every right and reason to disapprove. (If you respect their right to approve of and create these materials, and they respect your right to disapprove of and refuse to view them, everything's as it should be.)