The History of Pornography
Pornography addiction and Recovery The history of pornography dates back to the sixteenth century. It begins amongst the print culture of the Italian Renaissance. (Norberg) It was also introduced by literature. The Raggionamenti, was the first obscene book and was composed by Pietro Aretino between 1534 and 1536. “Obscene texts could be found in special, locked cases which were off-limits to working-class men, women, and children.” (Norberg) The materials were also expensive and only offered to the elite class.
One revolutionary effect of pornography is the collapse of prices if connection charges and subscription to service providers are set aside. In the 1980s, pornography was available at hotels and motels with in-room pay-per-view. (Slade) Surprisingly, hotel chains make millions of dollars from selling pay-per-view access to pornographic films. (Farmer) In the 1990s, pornography was available from a person’s residence if desired with the Playboy Channel, Vivid, and the Spice Channel amongst others. American pay-per-view revenues rose from $54 million in 1992 to $367 million in 1999. (Slide)