Jamie F
Porn camming sites give most people who visit them “emotional support” and a “sense of emotional closeness”, as well as sexual gratification, according to a new study by Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute.
Researchers said that the findings of the study, which examined sextech-related behaviour among 8,004 Americans, “chip away at the myth that technology is replacing human connections.”
While the Kinsey Institute is a respected institution in the field of sexuality research, it should be noted that the study was funded by the porn camming site company [NSFW] Jasmin, the parent company of LiveJasmin.
The study found that 16 percent of the 8,004 people surveyed have visited a porn camming site. Gay men, plus bisexual men and women, were more likely than straight or bisexual men plus straight and lesbian women to have visited an adult cam site.
Out of the approximately 1,300 people in the study who said they had visited a camming site, 68 percent said they received emotional support from the experience. 66 percent said they felt a sense of emotional closeness with a cam model. 74 percent said that experienced sexual gratification from visiting a cam site.
Justin Garcia, acting executive director of the Kinsey Institute, said that the results showed that people were visiting porn camming sites for far deeper reasons than quick masturbation sessions.
“These findings chip away at the myth that technology is replacing human connections and love is becoming obsolete. These results provide evidence that sextech, including the under-researched practice of camming, can facilitate emotional intimacy even though these technologies and interactions are generally understood to be primarily sexual in nature,” he said.
For long-term adult cam site users, the statistics may not be as surprising as Garcia’s comments suggested. Many people visit camming sites as they want a more personal porn experience, that feels more interactive and ‘real’, than just watching recorded videos on a traditional porn or tube site.
“These results provide evidence that sextech can facilitate emotional intimacy”
Justin Garcia, acting executive director of the Kinsey Institute
Modern adult cam sites, such as [NSFW] Livejasmin and Chaturbate, evolved from rudimentary camming setups run on platforms in the 1990s and early 2000s, such as iFriends.
Writing about early camming setups such as these, one former cammer wrote of the men (and it was nearly all men) who used them.
“When they first started, the guys were thrilled to be able to see and talk to someone who may actually be ‘next door’.”
The Kinsey Institute study also found that 50 percent of those surveyed viewed porn on ‘clips’ sites, and that 35 percent visited erotic fiction sites. Additionally, 31 percent of responders said they engaged in phone sex.
Amanda Gesselman, associate director for research at the Kinsey Institute, said: that “although the unprecedented rise of this digital era has sparked some anxiety over the potential negative consequences to individuals and society, we’re seeing that the incorporation of technology –and sextech specifically – also has the capacity to enhance, expand, and improve individual well-being and the well-being of human relationships.”
Read Next: From JenniCam to Chaturbate: A (brief) history of adult camming
