Angela Jones
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781479842964
- eISBN:
- 9781479829422
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479842964.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
Camming is based on a five-year mixed-methods study of the erotic webcam industry, and tells a pornographic story about the multibillion-dollar online sex industry colloquially called “camming.” ...
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Camming is based on a five-year mixed-methods study of the erotic webcam industry, and tells a pornographic story about the multibillion-dollar online sex industry colloquially called “camming.” Through camming, millions of people from all over the globe have found decent wages, friendship, intimacy, community, empowerment, and pleasure. This deeply rich book is filled with the stories of a diverse sample of cam models from around the world. This book is not a utopian tale. Cam models, like all sex workers, must grapple with exploitation, discrimination, harassment, and stigmatization. Using an intersectional lens, Jones is attentive to how the overlapping systems of neoliberal capitalism, White supremacy, patriarchy, cissexism, heterosexism, and ableism shape all cam models’ experiences in this new global sex industry. This thorough examination of the camming industry provides a unique vantage point from which to understand and theorize around gender, sexuality, race, and labor in a time when workers globally face increasing economic precariousness and worsened forms of alienation, and desperately desire to recapture pleasure in work. Despite the serious issues cam models face, Jones’s focus on pleasure will help people better understand the motivations for engaging in online sex work, as well as the complex social interactions between cam models and customers. In Camming, Jones pioneers an entirely new subfield in sociology—the sociology of pleasure. The sociology of pleasure can provide new insights into the motivation for social behavior and assist sociologists in analyzing social interactions in everyday life.Less
Camming is based on a five-year mixed-methods study of the erotic webcam industry, and tells a pornographic story about the multibillion-dollar online sex industry colloquially called “camming.” Through camming, millions of people from all over the globe have found decent wages, friendship, intimacy, community, empowerment, and pleasure. This deeply rich book is filled with the stories of a diverse sample of cam models from around the world. This book is not a utopian tale. Cam models, like all sex workers, must grapple with exploitation, discrimination, harassment, and stigmatization. Using an intersectional lens, Jones is attentive to how the overlapping systems of neoliberal capitalism, White supremacy, patriarchy, cissexism, heterosexism, and ableism shape all cam models’ experiences in this new global sex industry. This thorough examination of the camming industry provides a unique vantage point from which to understand and theorize around gender, sexuality, race, and labor in a time when workers globally face increasing economic precariousness and worsened forms of alienation, and desperately desire to recapture pleasure in work. Despite the serious issues cam models face, Jones’s focus on pleasure will help people better understand the motivations for engaging in online sex work, as well as the complex social interactions between cam models and customers. In Camming, Jones pioneers an entirely new subfield in sociology—the sociology of pleasure. The sociology of pleasure can provide new insights into the motivation for social behavior and assist sociologists in analyzing social interactions in everyday life.
Angela Jones
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781479842964
- eISBN:
- 9781479829422
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479842964.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
Camming is the first book devoted solely to the erotic webcam industry, that empirically documents the history of the camming industry, the industry’s current size, the profitability of the camming ...
More
Camming is the first book devoted solely to the erotic webcam industry, that empirically documents the history of the camming industry, the industry’s current size, the profitability of the camming industry, and that analyzes the motivations and the experiences of a relatively diverse sample of cam models. This chapter provides a brief background on the camming industry and discusses clients’ desire for embodied authenticity, and how interactive cam shows differ from traditional pornography. Given that many people view the consumption of virtual embodiment differently than they see the consumption of physical embodiment, and that these sexual interactions occur online, camming appeals to a wide range of workers and consumers. Importantly, these contextual elements create the conditions under which people open themselves up to experiencing new forms of pleasure, and in which workers can recapture pleasure as a fundamental part of their work. In addition to providing an overview of the industry, this chapter also outlines the analytical frameworks used throughout the book, which include the polymorphous paradigm of sex work and intersectionality. Finally, the critical pedagogies used in the book are described, which include progressive stacking, autoethnography, and a pornographic imagination.Less
Camming is the first book devoted solely to the erotic webcam industry, that empirically documents the history of the camming industry, the industry’s current size, the profitability of the camming industry, and that analyzes the motivations and the experiences of a relatively diverse sample of cam models. This chapter provides a brief background on the camming industry and discusses clients’ desire for embodied authenticity, and how interactive cam shows differ from traditional pornography. Given that many people view the consumption of virtual embodiment differently than they see the consumption of physical embodiment, and that these sexual interactions occur online, camming appeals to a wide range of workers and consumers. Importantly, these contextual elements create the conditions under which people open themselves up to experiencing new forms of pleasure, and in which workers can recapture pleasure as a fundamental part of their work. In addition to providing an overview of the industry, this chapter also outlines the analytical frameworks used throughout the book, which include the polymorphous paradigm of sex work and intersectionality. Finally, the critical pedagogies used in the book are described, which include progressive stacking, autoethnography, and a pornographic imagination.
Angela Jones
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781479842964
- eISBN:
- 9781479829422
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479842964.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the historical development of the erotic webcam industry. The camming industry emerged in 1996 because of two converging social phenomena: the ...
More
This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the historical development of the erotic webcam industry. The camming industry emerged in 1996 because of two converging social phenomena: the introduction of the Internet and the popularity of non-erotic camgirls in the United States. Additionally, the explosion of amateur pornography on the Internet has led to the demystification of porn. As a result, clients, who are disproportionately cis men, have come to value embodied authenticity and realness. The chapter examines the emergence of erotic cam sites and various technological developments that furthered the growth of the industry such as Skype, social media, smartphones, and teledildonics. The inequality generated by global capitalism means that for many people around the world, the costs associated with becoming a cam model are prohibitive and access to the technologies described in this chapter are not available. While the camming industry can thus be lauded for creating an opportunity for safe and legal sex work, this opportunity is not open to the most economically vulnerable people around the world.Less
This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the historical development of the erotic webcam industry. The camming industry emerged in 1996 because of two converging social phenomena: the introduction of the Internet and the popularity of non-erotic camgirls in the United States. Additionally, the explosion of amateur pornography on the Internet has led to the demystification of porn. As a result, clients, who are disproportionately cis men, have come to value embodied authenticity and realness. The chapter examines the emergence of erotic cam sites and various technological developments that furthered the growth of the industry such as Skype, social media, smartphones, and teledildonics. The inequality generated by global capitalism means that for many people around the world, the costs associated with becoming a cam model are prohibitive and access to the technologies described in this chapter are not available. While the camming industry can thus be lauded for creating an opportunity for safe and legal sex work, this opportunity is not open to the most economically vulnerable people around the world.
Jessica Berson
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199846207
- eISBN:
- 9780190272623
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199846207.003.0007
- Subject:
- Music, Dance
Striptease has become an academic avatar for the escalation and intensification of sexuality in popular culture. One of the major factors in the mainstreaming of striptease has been its repackaging ...
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Striptease has become an academic avatar for the escalation and intensification of sexuality in popular culture. One of the major factors in the mainstreaming of striptease has been its repackaging as a means for women to reclaim sexual and emotional agency. This chapter argues that these programs for self-improvement (exercise/empowerment regimes) serve as part of a larger corporate project aimed at the appropriation and re-coding of striptease toward a consumer-friendly homogenization of sexuality. Finally, two possible alternatives to mainstream exotic dance are examined, one alluding to the past, the other to the future. The former, neo-burlesque, is a movement that offers exciting alternatives to mainstream exotic dance while simultaneously enforcing some of the problematic discourses of class, commercialism, and sexual empowerment discussed throughout the book. The latter is camming, an interactive Internet practice in which customers pay performers both to watch and be watched.Less
Striptease has become an academic avatar for the escalation and intensification of sexuality in popular culture. One of the major factors in the mainstreaming of striptease has been its repackaging as a means for women to reclaim sexual and emotional agency. This chapter argues that these programs for self-improvement (exercise/empowerment regimes) serve as part of a larger corporate project aimed at the appropriation and re-coding of striptease toward a consumer-friendly homogenization of sexuality. Finally, two possible alternatives to mainstream exotic dance are examined, one alluding to the past, the other to the future. The former, neo-burlesque, is a movement that offers exciting alternatives to mainstream exotic dance while simultaneously enforcing some of the problematic discourses of class, commercialism, and sexual empowerment discussed throughout the book. The latter is camming, an interactive Internet practice in which customers pay performers both to watch and be watched.