Every man can remember his first look at a pornographic image. If you're over the age of 30, you probably got your first glance by sneaking peeks at magazines like Playboy® or Penthouse®, or by staying up late and catching an R-rated skin flick on HBO. All of these are rather tame when compared to what we see today.

Pornography is more blatant, racier, and more hardcore -- and much of it is readily available over the Internet. Offline, you don't have to look very far within medium-to-large sized cities to find specialized distribution stores selling thousands of videos, magazines, toys, and sex services. It's big business.

But the World Wide Web has become a metropolis for porn and the industry rakes in millions in revenues each year -- making it the new entertainment choice for many Black men. While big businesses like hotel chains and cable TV operators are profiting from pornography, our relationships may be suffering.

- Why have pornographic movies in stores and on the Internet skyrocketed in the past 10 years?
- What negative effects can pornography have on male sexuality?
- What problems can there be in a relationship where a man actively views pornographic material?

Corporate Profits
In a PBS Frontline documentary and investigation entitled American Porn, it is clear that several mainstream corporations benefit from pornography. Hotel chains such as Marriott and Westin offer in-room X-rated movies which are delivered to the hotels by major distribution companies. Some analysts believe these in-room sex movies generate a bigger profit than the hotels' own mini-bars.

According to Frontline - cable and satellite companies channel pornography into millions of homes and take approximately 80 percent of the pay-per-view dollar that gets spent by the consumer, a statement corroborated by Bill Asher, president of Vivid Entertainment, which produces adult movies.

When corporate dollars fund some of the biggest and most recognizable porn producers, profit-generation is the goal and those corporations will continue to use those profits to make even more money -- no matter how detrimental it [pornography] may be to our relationships.

Problems In the Bedroom
Men who repeatedly visit Internet porn sites may find themselves becoming addicted to imagery and fantasy -- needing more and more of it to become satisfied. The effect can be a lack of interest in a couple's normal sexual relations, or the inability to become aroused without more stimulation. Several reports suggest that married men who view pornography usually have similar tastes for real life sex - even when their wives do not.

Men are visual animals and are more likely to use their imagination for arousal. More men than women masturbate and experience orgasms, and they do so more frequently than women.

"Some scientists believe that these differences have a biological basis." says Erick Janssen, Ph.D., an Associate Scientist at The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction at Indiana University.

"Evolutionary psychologists argue that ancestral men, to spread their genes, had much to gain from having sex with as many women as possible. In contrast, given the biological limitations on the number of children women could have and raise, they would benefit from being selective -- choosing mates with the best genes. Thus, men evolved a sexual psychology that makes sex with new women exciting both to imagine and to engage in, and this made men especially responsive to visual signals of sex. Porn, a largely visual medium, parades many youthful and attractive partners, and provides physical gratification without commitment or encumbering relationships." Janssen explained.

Relationships Suffer
For what it's worth, the numbers of women who view pornographic material has also risen over the past decade, but the industry is undoubtedly driven by the desires of men. Men enjoy gazing at the female body and fantasizing about sex. These basic, carnal desires keep the multi-million dollar business churning.

There are endless social reasons why a man may view pornography, but the foundational elements are based on hormonal instincts and a lustful appetite for the opposite sex. From a 2001 report by Forrester Research Inc., -- "Seventy-seven (77) percent of online visitors to adult content sites are male. Their average age is 41 and they have an annual income of $60,000. Forty-six (46) percent are married."

A large number of married women, who know about their husbands' attraction to pornography, do not approve of it, but choose to ignore it if they think it keeps their husbands from committing adultery.

Black men who habitually use pornography or visit strip clubs believe it is a perfectly normal and natural male desire. Natural or not, the desensitization effect it has on men is what creates ideologies never before seen in our communities.

Researchers believe that some men who regularly see pornographic material begin to develop distorted views of women, intimacy, and relationships. Some of these men, especially younger males, seemingly expect all women to be voluptuous, oversexed, video-babes -- a concept that has a direct relation to the accessibility of pornography and the media's portrayal of women.

There is much more that can be said about pornography and its effects on Black relationships. Scientists will continue to research the reasons why some people, especially men, are attracted to it. The true debate isn't whether or not porn is right or wrong -- but whether men will continue to allow it to negatively affect their relationships.

The industry is here to stay.