The New Camming Perspective (NCP) is an academic research project in Social Sciences that tries to improve human rights and conditions in adult camming, by looking at the whole picture and stimulating critical thought in the scene. In this sense, it is important to point out that according to academic criteria in this field, information alone is not knowledge. In fact, knowledge is the ability to connect fragmented information, from different subjects, and thus, viewing it as a single unit of complex thought. That’s why in order to arrive at meaningful understanding, the NCP should be built on a solid foundation such as a historical contextualization of:
(1) technology: improvement of forms and development of tools to facilitate life;
(2) mainstream: cultural artifacts that are spread to entertain and create values and needs through mass media;
(3) cultural/social practices: how tech and mass media influence social relationships;
(4) pornography: sexually arousing imagery and footage sold or distributed for entertainment purposes;
(5) camming: a live interactivity service that connects people who want to be emotionally and sexually stimulated.
Let’s follow the timeline!
As stated before, comprehending is seeing the whole picture. Thus, this division in topics is an attempt to explain more clearly.
90’s –
The age of dial-up internet
•Tech: Especially in the beginning of the decade, mobile phones were very rare. Most day by day remote communication happened via landline phones. They were the norm and, in some places, they were really expensive to use.
Back then, internet connection relied on telephone lines and was limited to 56 kbs per second. This meant that only pictures could be seen in websites. The internet was just for a few, Google did not even exist.
There was no social media. Online communication took place on the following: ICQ, Yahoo groups, many personal blogs were hosted on Geocities, online discussion boards, e-mail discussion groups, etc.
•Mainstream: Mass media (TV and radio) had a key role in entertaining, informing and shaping social/cultural practices. MTV was an icon of the 90’s youth.
•Social/Cultural practices: Regarding social relations, they happened much more in person then remotely. Time flew more slowly.
•Porn: File extensions like “jpgs” and “gifs” were the kickstart of internet porn and it was made up of mostly paid content. Meanwhile, porn movies were sold and rented on VHS, consisting mostly of mega productions.
•The predecessor of camming: This is also when sex phone services were offered, even promoted on TV (depending on the country you lived in).
All of these points are needed to better understand the main trends that have been affecting the camming business. What trends are these? Are they good or bad (regarding human rights)? Do we have any control about the next episodes? The answers to these questions are out there to be found.
Since the historic documentation regarding the adult industry is vague―almost non-existent in live camming―this article is the first one of this attempt to shed light on such a timeline. Therefore, because of making use of a historical approach, it is important to clarify that it is not the only possible periodization that explains what happened in chronology. As a researcher, I have looked into facts and taken advantage of my networking to consult insiders. My special thanks to Silvia Abreu, who is the Angels Studio Manager, for her time and attention, for the help provided here on the history of live camming, and on so many other occasions during the last 10 years in the business.
2000’s –
The age of internet 2.0
•Tech: At the turn of the millennium, people still used landline phones but mobile phones were everywhere and you were expected to have one to be able to pick up voice calls, which were one of the only things you could do with these phones. Gradually, the features started to increase: cameras, MP3 player phones, and smartphones for business people (such as Palm, Blackberry, Windows mobile, etc).
Internet connections became more reliable and the bandwidth could support the consumption of videos. Social networking takes off with platforms such as Fotolog, MySpace, Messenger and Orkut.
•Mainstream: Traditional TV and tune-in radio lose relevance to more interactive forms of communication.m These are mostly reality TV shows, such as Big Brother and similar. They allow the viewers to feel like they are influencing the results and taking part of this “unique” moment. As a consequence, this is the birth of the sub-celebrity, and the idea that anyone can be one.
•Social Practices: Communication became quicker and more virtual. Emails started to be mandatory; if you did not have one, you were no one. Orkut meant that people could now connect online and interact more often than previously. This was also the beginning of the need to show the world you are attractive, happy, full of friends successful; someone to be liked.
•Porn: The video war of the decade between Sony and Toshiba caused some trouble to distributors and when the DVD became the norm, there were still very elaborate sex scenes. Most of porn content available online was paid for. The “free porn” was only short ripped scenes and pictures which were exchanged in chat rooms.
•Camming: In the midst of tech developments, phone sex became obsolete quickly and was replaced by something fresh: amateur camming services. Thus, the same customer who paid for porn, paid for live cam—since both of them were paid for.
2010’s –
The age of interactivity
•Tech: Landlines are for old people and business. Everyone has a smartphone, nor for calling though. They are for using apps. WhatsApp replaces cellphone communication almost completely.
There is now sufficient bandwidth capacity (for streaming). The many streaming platforms such as Youtube had been available for at least five years and become popular. A new paradigm is set: users become responsible for uploading videos, which monetize views with ads. Streaming is also fostered because of services like Spotify and Netflix.
This is also when many social networks are developed; the golden age of social media is set. Facebook is where people find their direct friends; Twitter is where people follow the trends; Instagram is where they can show how popular they are; Snapchat lets everyone tell their happy little story.
•Mainstream: TV and radio are old-fashioned, especially for the youth. Every media outlet delivers online content, supported by either via subscription or ad views. The cult of the sub-celebrity continues to gain ground, now from social media (influencers).
•Social/Cultural practices: Human communication in person is less relevant, and not only that, but every sense of the body is devalued. For example, no more talking (with their voice), they prefer to type or send audios. Less opportunity to meet and, as a result, there is less exchange of pheromones (hormones that are secreted as smell). Touch is another of these senses that is lost. Plus, most people will feel as if they were naked if they forget their phones at home, as well as getting anxious about their batteries dying. These are some signs of increasing isolation.
On the other hand, keeping active online and affirming one’s happiness feels the void left from the lack of social contact and the exchange that comes with it. Furthermore, it is more important to show these emotions than actually having such feelings because of social pressure that stimulates everybody to take part in this virtual reality. If someone doesn’t have a digital life, they might have their opportunities more limited in personal and professional terms (how can you know if someone is real if they don’t have anything virtual to be found?).
•Porn: The same modus operandi from mainstream internet entertainment has started to be applied in porn, which began to be offered for free. These user uploaded content platforms (such as Pornhub, XVideos and Redtube) allowed users to upload their own productions. This also influenced the adult scene as a whole, because the aesthetic of porn became simpler and more dynamic (new content is required more often).
On top of that, this simple aesthetic is also related to a wide availability of amateur porn that has been uploaded by exhibitionist, who are happy to show off their sexual activities and bodies without earning anything for that. It is just a hobby for them.
Regarding paid content, violence against women is more present than ever. The fierce competition has been increasing demands and, as a consequence, is less humane. Because of less possibilities to develop their career, regarding payment, many North American porn stars have started to work in freemium camming.
•Camming: There are a lot of changes to be seen in this period. Although freemium platforms had been around, they were not a trend. It became popular because of the vast availability of free sex content. “Traditional” platforms (premium) were forced to adapt and implemented the “free teasing” method.
The camming scene became more professional, following the boom of big studios in Romania. A new phenomenon took place: all over the world many summits are carried out focused on the camming scene exclusively, with seminars, conferences and award shows for both models and affiliates. Most recently, vibe toys and sex penetrating machines were introduced in the market as main trends. Marketing talks about interactivity features, nevertheless, interactivity is related to connections. Are these tools connecting or controlling people (those who have to use them to make a living)?
An explanation for why all of this became the norm can be the development of tech (backbone infrastructures) and the social practices that are associated to these stepping stones of technology. Models and members are simply other individuals in our society, needs and aspirations are bound to change with every turn of the tide that takes place. As space and time become more compressed, relations become more ephemeral and without the whole picture it is very hard to understand why and how camming has its place. In fact, it is part of the society, supplying a service that is related to the social and interactivity needs that humans have for finding some support in an increasingly lonely world.
Final Considerations
Where are we now? In tech terms, low quality video was replaced by 720p, 4K, 60 frames per second, as well as 3D porn. What is next? Probably, the increasing popularity of robots and avatars (digital and human). However, there is also the dark side: What is in it for the people? More and more isolation and over exposition taking place everywhere.
A reason for those who want to make a difference to act is to take up the strategy put forward by the New Camming Perspective: Building connections is not only a way to “rescue” the state of the art of live cams (original proposal of these services). It's also a profitable strategy to “fight back” social isolation (both emotional and sexual), which is growing in Post-Modern society as a consequence of technological advancement and acceleration of everyday life.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Priscila Magossi is a journalist (Mackenzie-SP/Brazil, 2002-2005), with a Master’s Degree (2006-2008) and a Ph.D. (2010-2014) in Communication and Semiotics (PUC-SP/Brazil). Since she has started her journey in the communication field, she has been studying the impacts of the mass media and the cyberculture in the post-modern society, focusing primarily on the social bonds’ dynamics.
Regarding her main activities in the camming industry, Magossi is the author of the New Camming Perspective: a formal study about camming that also looks into the porn industry, the mainstream media, and social behavior in order to draw conclusions. Thus, the goal of this project is to maximize profit, retain return customers, offer better working conditions and female empowerment.
This new approach for understanding camming is centered on the main concepts of (1) Building Connections between models and members through the (2) Social Aspect of Camming, which is only possible to be developed when in touch with access to the (3) Social Traffic.
