Categorization of Pornographic Video Clips on the Internet: a Cognitive Anthropological Approach
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Milica N. Vucurovic Vasic, MLIS DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1816.6087/1 UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY Milica N. Vasic CATEGORIZATION OF PORNOGRAPHIC VIDEO CLIPS ON THE INTERNET: A COGNITIVE ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACH PhD Dissertation Belgrade, 2013 CATEGORIZATION OF PORNOGRAPHIC VIDEO CLIPS ON THE INTERNET: A COGNITIVE ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACH by Milica N. Vucurovic Vasic is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. [email protected] [email protected] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Milica_Vucurovic/publications Milica N. Vucurovic Vasic, MLIS DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1816.6087/1 Mentor: dr Bojan Ţikić, regular professor at the Department of Ethnology and Anthropology, University of Belgrade Members of the Committee: prof. dr Dušan Starčević ________________________________________________________________ prof. dr Miloš Milenković ________________________________________________________________ prof. dr Bojan Ţikić _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Date of the thesis defense: 24.12.2013. 2 Milica N. Vucurovic Vasic, MLIS DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1816.6087/1 Abstract: Anthropological study of the Internet pornography can refer to the cultural communication between the creators of the contents and authors of pornographic sites, as well as between the authors of sites and users, the latter being more relevant to this work as it assumes supracultural activities on the Internet and comprises the pornography users as a distinct population. The aim of this study is to determine, through the categorization of porn clips in the Internet, cognitive schemes and cultural models which explain the principles of such classification and provide the information on the cultural thought that lies behind the interpretation of the Internet pornography during the organization of that particular part of virtual reality by the pornographic sites‟ authors and their users. Following methodological means have been applied: ethno-taxonomic analysis and D‟Andrade‟s folk model of the mind. Categories which appear on web sites are not organized in hierarchies, which means their interrelations had to be inferred. Results showed that categories do not carry sufficient meaning by themselves. Rather, related categories are used to describe concepts, and those concepts frequently derive their meaning from their relation with other concepts. Users also perform the partition of this space by using similar larger segments, whereas the categories themselves are merely preferences within the segment which is currently in focus. One of the observed user behaviors which affects their approach to categorization is their perception of the realistic-spectacular relationship. The users perceive most clips as a staged fiction whose actors take part in it for reasons of self-interest. On one hand, this implies a higher competence of users population; on the other, this relates to the need to define, justify and place the perception of one‟s own sexuality within the framework of what is socially acceptable supporting it with the assertion that “no animal was harmed during the making of this movie”, which to a certain extent corresponds to the context outside the pornography in which any behaviour on the Internet is believed to be legitimate just because it is virtual, making the evaluation parameters appear to come down to the esthetic element and the physical safety, while everything has its price. The Internet pornography represents a consistent continuation of the history of pornography because the behavior exhibited during its use also represents a side effect of a cultural environment of the group using it. 3 Milica N. Vucurovic Vasic, MLIS DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1816.6087/1 Keywords: pornography, the Internet, categories, cognitive anthropology, taxonomy, model of the mind, the history of pornography, the history of the Internet, supracultural communication, pornography users Scientific discipline: Anthropology Subfield: Cognitive anthropology UDC number: 343.542.1:004.738.5]:39 316.472.42:004.738.5 4 Milica N. Vucurovic Vasic, MLIS DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1816.6087/1 I would like to especially thank my parents, Nedeljko and Nadezda Vasic, for the help and support they have provided me during my entire schooling process. Additionally, a big thanks to Jovanka Ilic, my late grandmother, on her wisdom in the crucial moments. I'd like to express great respect and gratitude to my mentor Professor Dr Bojan Ţikić, whose advice, support and scientific work were invaluable. I would also especially like to thank Professor Dr. Ivan Kovacevic, who suggested the idea for the theme of this paper, as well as professors Dr. Milos Milenkovic, Dr. Dusan Starcevic, Dr. Dragana Antonijevic and Dr. Slobodan Naumović who after the defense of the thesis proposal pointed out important facts that have helped me in further research. I am grateful to prim. dr. Marko Dragovic,a specialist in neuropsychiatry and forensic psychiatry on all the expert advice and literature which he used to clarify for me the expertise in his field. Thank you to the Department of Ethnology and Anthropology for the collegiality and efficiency. Thank you to Marko and Darko Vučurović on personal support and technical assistance. 5 Milica N. Vucurovic Vasic, MLIS DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1816.6087/1 TABLE OF CONTENTS I INTRODUCTION…………………………………….……………………………......9 II SUBJECT OF THE RESEARCH ………………………...…………………………14 II 1. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERNET AND PORNOGRAPHY………………………………………………...…….………..14 II 1.a HISTORY OF THE INTERNET………………….……………………………..14 II 1.а.1. Introduction........................................................................................................14 II 1.а.2. Beginnings of the Internet……………..............................................................15 II 1.а.3. The Internet in the 1970s…................................................................................17 II 1.а.4. The Internet in the 1980s…................................................................................18 II 1.а.5. The modern Internet….......................................................................................20 II 1.а.6. Innovations leading to the popularity of the Internet ……................................23 II 1.b HISTORY OF PORNOGRAPHY.........................................................................26 II 1.b.1. The term “pornography,” its meaning and usage…………..………..………...28 II 1.b.2. Literary Pornography….....................................................................................31 II 1.b.3. Visual Pornography……...................................................................................38 II 1.b.4. Multimedia Pornography……….......................................................................43 II 2. PORNOGRAPHY IN THE INTERNET ENVIRONMENT, THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE………………...…………………………....52 III THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK.…………..….….66 III 1. COGNITIVE ANTHROPOLOGY.........................................................................66 III 1. а. Cognitive Sciences..............................................................................................66 III 1. b. Cognitive Anthropology…….............................................................................67 III 2. HISTORY OF CATEGORIZATION.....................................................................91 III 2. а. Plant and animal worlds…..................................................................................92 6 Milica N. Vucurovic Vasic, MLIS DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1816.6087/1 III 2. b. Evolution of the society…..................................................................................96 III 2. v. Human personality types....................................................................................97 III 2. g. Human types.......................................................................................................99 III 2. d. General classifications in social sciences ………............................................103 III 3. TAXONOMIES AND ETHNOTAXONOMIES.................................................114 IV ETHNOGRAPHY IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD....................................................130 V ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION...................................................................152 V 1. ETHNOTAXONOMIC ANALYSIS OF PORNOGRAPHIC CONTENT...........152 V 1. а. Analysis of the observed taxonomies................................................................154 V 1.а.1. Observed taxonomy based on the list of categories shown on the site............155 V 1.а.1.1. Rules of formation…....................................................................................155 V 1.а.1.2. A couple of examples found among the categories……..............................156 V 1.а.2. Observed taxonomy based on “similar” categories………………...…..........159 V 1.а.2.1. Method of determining the hierarchy...........................................................159 V 1.а.2.2. Levels and classes of the observed taxonomy..............................................160 V 1.а.2.2.1. Race, skin color and nation („what kind of/where from“) (life form))......161 V 1.a.2.2.2. Theme, plot and concept ("about what" – life form).................................165 V 1.а.2.2.2.1. “User Gender related group”……..........................................................169 V 1.а.2.2.2.2. „ „Actor‟s