From peak to dark, porn on Netflix

Clip from the documentary that explores both sides of the adult entertainment coin.

According to many different surveys conducted in the past decade, it is estimated that 30%-35% of the total volume of data trafficked on the global internet is related to pornographic content. Responsible for this (huge) percentage are mainly two websites: Pornhub and XVideos, which are now among the fifteen most popular sites on the entire Internet. In fact, since many of those who visit these sites—particularly from countries in Asia, where they are prohibited by law—disguise their tracks digitally, their place on the list is even higher. The story of Pornhub’s expansion is now being told through a new Netflix documentary, the trailer for which has just been released.

Suzanne Hellinger’s “Money Shot: The Pornhub Story,” which airs March 15, includes interviews with the site’s former employees, sex workers, and activists who sometimes stand up against it. But it is more important to understand how since 2007 Pornhub has radically changed the landscape of adult entertainment, delivering erotic content, as well as hardcore porn, to a huge global audience and effectively “educating” an entire generation in new sexual patterns. At the same time, it has turned a marginal part of film production (pornography) into a multi-billion dollar industry with star actors, scintillating awards and millions of followers.

Of course, this is one side of the coin. On the other hand, the documentary also goes into detail, dark cases of trafficking, child pornography, and non-consensual sex, which Pornhub has also been associated with at times. “The more I looked at it, the more amazed I was. I’ve seen so many cases of kids whose worst moments are going on there,” an activist is seen saying in the promotional ad. Another points out how the platform essentially tracks its users: “Pornhub basically does what Facebook does. In other words, it operates like a giant enterprise that collects personal data.”

In the movie, of course, voices of defense are also heard, mainly coming from the thousands of sex performers – professional or semi-professional – who have made their living from porn over the years. In the US, the recent batch of legislation aimed at restricting/censoring Pornhub and other similar sites has caused a lot of backlash. “It’s not just an attack on porn. It’s an attack on people’s freedom of expression,” says one interviewee on “Money Shot,” while another, a member of the LGBTQ community, exaggerates: “If it’s not about porn, then who I probably wouldn’t be alive today.”