Pornography as a creative industry: challenging the exceptionalist approach to pornography

Abstract

Much academic writing on pornography takes an exceptionalist approach, focusing on the ways it is different from other forms of culture. By contrast, this article – focusing on pornography as an industry – argues that in many ways it is similar to other forms of culture. In the production of pornography, producers make most money; ‘creatives’, including performers, mostly lack creative control, do not make lots of money and have short, nomadic careers; the business is facing challenges from increased digitalization; and the solutions to these challenges lie in branding, niche marketing and exploiting new technological possibilities. This perspective then allows us more clearly to see what is unusual about the pornography industry – particularly around the experience of stigma and workplace health and safety.

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