This is exactly what audio erotica is about. It allows the listener to paint a personal fantasy while diving into expressive and seductive tales. With the rise of podcasts, the realm of audio porn and erotica is expanding rapidly, offering a variety of content from narrated porn to explicit sound recordings and instructions for masturbation.
Similar to visual porn, the realm of audio porn provides a plethora of creative and arousing options, easily accessible with just a few clicks. A few years ago, the online trend of ASMR (auto sensory meridian response) gained momentum, exploring the physical tingling response triggered by specific stimuli. While not a new sensation, this trend allowed for the creation of content aiming to induce this response through audio stimuli, such as whispering, scratching, and tapping sounds.
The popularity of ASMR is exemplified by notorious viral videos like “ASMR barber shop” (a non-erotic example). The instructions were to close your eyes and use headphones. It created an immersive experience that almost made you feel the person moving around you. Despite its strangeness, many people found it satisfying and began associating it with kinks or fetishes. This trend, coupled with the accessibility of new technologies, played a crucial role in popularizing a special form of non-visual stimulation.
In the landscape of audio content, audio erotica stands out as intentionally sexual, placing it within the realm of the sex industry, akin to porn literature or erotic visual art. This raises the question: can producing audio porn be considered a form of sex work? The answer to this question is as complex as the question itself. There are four things to consider:
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GET STARTEDIs it sexual?
Is there an economic exchange?
Does it need to have a real-life sexual situation?
Does audio porn bear the same stigma found in usual lines of sex work?
Addressing the question of “what is sex work?” inevitably involves confronting the significant stigma associated with it. While our society is gradually becoming more accepting of diverse identities, attitudes and practices, there still exists a certain moral judgment, particularly against more marginalized identities.
Doing sex work carries a heavy social weight, and the stigma is always there. It is important to note that not all sectors within sex work face the same level of stigma. Many people in the industry usually move between different areas of sex work to supplement their incomes, blurring fixed categories. Another factor contributing to stigma is the “whorearchy”—a hierarchical structure in sex work that classifies different forms of sex work. This hierarchy ranges from the elite class of “luxury escorts” to the lower class of street-based sex workers. The whorearchy is intrinsically tied to issues of racism, classism and transphobia, influencing the legal and social acceptability of various forms of sex work.
Working in audio porn is distinct from working in visual porn. For one thing, it grants a level of anonymity that is difficult to achieve in other sectors. Furthermore, the platforms where audio is usually sold are more private and face less public scrutiny compared to the ones marketing more explicit material. While there might still be some potential stigma associated with working in audio porn, it does not approach the consequences faced by sex workers who expose themselves to the public eye.
With all this in mind… is audio erotica sex work?
The classification of audio porn as sex work remains a grey area, with opinions varying among sex workers. It’s impossible to provide a definitive “yes” or “no”. Plus, the landscape is changing rapidly. Due to the evolving nature of both the sex work industry and new technologies, it is hard to predict whether this classification will shift in the future.
What do you think? Should audio porn be considered sex work, and if so, why? Will the definition of sex work change? What different forms of porn are there to come in the future, and how will it be part of our economic and social exchanges?
To learn more about the experience of audio porn, check out our article Audio porn, worth the hype? or experience it first hand on our platform.
