PORN IN THE TIME OF CORONA

There has been a surge of porn searches during the Corona lockdown worldwide with porn companies offering free subscriptions help those affected tide over the crisis and depression.

The Coronavirus pandemic has thrown up a whole new world of opportunity for adult entertainment companies. With governments around the world shutting down whole nations, these companies are inducing people in home confinement to watch porn, in fact, more porn. According to data, the inducement-to-watch-porn strategy has worked.

One word of disclaimer: this story does not mean any disrespect to the sufferings of the hundreds of thousands worldwide affected by the pandemic.

So, in the past one month alone, there has been a total of close to 7,00,000 (rounded off) coronavirus searches on Pornhub. Interestingly, there has been a serious search for “COVID-19-themed porn” that peaked on 5th March, with over 1.5 searches in a day. Going by the search statistics, viewers in Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovakia, Ireland, and Malaysia seem to have taken to viral porn.

Coronavirus porn searches isn’t, however, confined to Pornhub alone. xHamster, another major adult content platform, experienced a comparable spike in COVID-19-related searches during the period around 7th March, according to data it shared with TNW (The Next web). The exact number wasn’t available.

“A CURE FOR THE CORONA VIRUS IS GETTING FUCKED BY A PAWG,” reads aloud the title of a porn clip in all caps. In another video, titled “CoronaVirus Porn” a couple of people in hazmat suits can be seen vigorously and sensuously rubbing against each other.

“I think people are attracted to COVID-19 themed porn the same way people who are scared of their shadow are attached to horror movies: We are all searching for things that make us come alive,” an adult performer was quoted as saying to Vice magazine.

Given the near-apocalyptic medical crisis at hand, adult businesses seem to be seducing the general public into new areas of pleasure.

Consider this: Japanese adult content distributor Soft on Demand produced nearly 200 smut flicks for free access during the pandemic, according to a report by Livedoor News. The service became so popular that the distributor’s website reportedly crashed owing to the demand.

Pornhub itself, which has been lately in the eye of public controversy for its “content removal practices”, has been taking advantage of the coronavirus outbreak. So, the company generated global waves when it gave Italians free premium subscriptions for the while month of March to stop them from “breaking quarantine”. But if one did break the quarantine, they would have to open a new account!

Similarly, xHamster ran something similar at the end of February, but the soaring demand forced the company to shut down subscription.

Interestingly, there has been a wave of research suggesting masturbation could boost one’s immunity, given the times! Although not entirely without scientific basis, there are other more critical factors that govern one’s immune system, which include diet and lifestyle.

While the talk about masturbation might make for interesting drawing room conversation for locked-down men and women, signing up for a free porn subscription seems to be only logical.

For authentic information about the Coronavirus and what it entails and what one should do, please visit the following sources:

• World Health Organization COVID-19 Q&A
• European Center for Disease Control and prevention facts on COVID-19
• Center for Disease Control COVID-19 facts