Smartphone users like porn; the sky is blue

The Internet is for porn, no shock there. But just how prolific is the watching of porn via the web? Considering that our coverage of the PornTime app was one of our most popular articles for several days in a row, we’d say it’s pretty popular. Getting more specific, a new report from Juniper Research says that 136 billion adult videos will be watched in 2015, with an expected growth of 193 billion watches a year by 2020.

Breaking things down further, the average smartphone user that watches porn consumes on average 348 videos a year. That’s pretty much a porno a day, with just a 17 day cumulative break — probably on holidays if we had to take a guess (Santa is watching after all).

So where in the world are all these porn viewers coming from? The most common locations are the United States and Western Europe, but developing markets are seeing a massive uptick as 4G, high-speed WiFi, tablets, and smartphones become more commonplace. The developing market and the US are set to continue impressive growth, while Western Europe’s watching habits will increase but much less dramatically. While some cultures, religions, and individuals look at pornography as taboo, it’s obvious that porn will only continue to get bigger and more accessible as mobile technology becomes more widespread. For one thing, it’s easier to hide your viewing habits or view privately on a smartphone than it is a desktop or laptop computer.

What’s interesting is that porn has typically been one of the first mediums to embrace new trends: VHS, DVD, BLURay, the web, and now even AR and VR. It’s harder to say whether or not porn drives the purchases of these new technologies but there certainly seems to be a correlation between porn and the rise of new tech. Will adult content be what drives the next-generation of VR technologies like the Rift, Gear VR, Fove, and countless other would-be contenders? It’s hard to say, though personally I’ll admit the idea of VR adult content is more than a little creepy.

What say you, is the continued rise of porn at all shocking to you? Are you bothered by this trend? Fine with it? Share your thoughts below.