OK, I will admit that the 25 percent figure is not an entirely accurate scientific calculation.  However, I recently found that 5 of the top 20 entries in the top free applications in the entertainment catagory contain what I consider pornography.  This, plus the amount of time it takes to scroll past “Amature”, “Asian” and “Babes” in the list of recently released applications has me questioning the increase in the flesh-to-functionality ratio of iPhone applications and the accessibility of software sex in general.

Update (22 Feb 2010)

Looks like I was not the only one having these thoughts.  News stories like this one and this one indicate Apple is removing questionable content all-together.  My approach was simply to section off an area of the App Store, and it will be interesting to see the industry response.  I am not so arrogant to think my post had a contribution in itself, but apparently it was part of a conversation Apple was having.

Is it porn?

The Wikipedia application on my iPhone informs me that pornography is the “depiction of explicit sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual excitement.” If I use this definition as my porn test, the only question is whether the subject matter is explicit (measured, I suppose, by percentage of visible flesh) or if the purpose is sexual excitement (not sure what other purpose there would be, as I don’t see any of the applications in question offering banking functionality or the ability to order pizzas).

In the event this definition is too vague, I have come up with a couple of other porn detection tests.  In the first test, imagine your image next to the application title and ask yourself if your friends, family and clients would think you were involved in a porn application.  The second test is more personal, where you ask yourself “Would I be comfortable opening the application and seeing my daughter in the application?”  These scenarios are beneficial in debates with those making the case for “erotic art”, “self expression” or “freedom of speech”. 

A porn pragmatist’s assessment

Don’t get me wrong, my position on porn (that didn’t sound right) is more pragmatic than from any sort of moral perspective.  I will not make a case for porn being “wrong”, as others would disagree simply on principle.  I have also collected my share of sins in my life to limit my ability to fight against the “wrongs” of life based on some moral high ground. 

Rather, I simply make observations based on my studies of the social sciences and society in general:

• It’s an addiction
  The connection between porn and compulsion is well documented, with sexual addiction being no different than any other behaviour that allows the individual to self-administer chemical levels in the brain.
• Social impact
  From a social science perspective, the availability of free flesh breaks down societal boundaries that dissuade sex-related crimes and the spread of sexually transmitted disease.   
• Objectification
  Our society would reject popular media that portrayed violence against an ethnic minority or exploitation of the financially disadvantaged based on the resulting cultural undercurrents of such media presenting the individual not as an equal person but as an object of anger or an object of greed.  In the same manner, I have issue with a media channel that promotes women as objects of lust, making the long fight for equality that much more of a challenge.
• Even playing field
  My last argument is a commercial one.  My company recently worked with a client and their agency over several months and a combined team of over 15 people to release the number one free application in Australia.  This coveted slot was purchased with blood, sweat and tears and a fair sum of money.  I find it disconcerting to see this rank threatened with some salacious snapshots slapped together under a tantalising title.

A place for everything, and everything in its place

All that said, I am a big believer in free choice balanced by means for the individual to make that choice.  Contemporary culture has established this balance in the physical world by making cigarettes and alcohol available for purchase only in select areas.  Even the adult industry has traditionally played by culturally defined rules through establishing “Adult” shops segregated to certain areas of town.

Yet I was reminded on my recent holiday back home to the Pacific Northwest that pornography continues to push these boundaries.  Not satisfied with coffee as a pick-me-up, the local espresso stands in Everett, Washington have started to offer sex shows with their lattes to boost sales.  Faced with this new challenge, the local authorities are putting in laws to move such establishments into specific city sectors.

In the same manner, I am wondering if we could have an area of the App store dedicated to the inevitable inclusion of flesh-filled applications.  I initially questioned Google allowing adult areas in its Android app store while Apple stuck to its principles as gatekeeper of what is proper.  Yet if Apple’s gate is not as closed as once thought, then perhaps there does need to be an adults-only swim area rather than allowing a smattering of pseudo-soft porn into the application pool.    

Life is a balance between regulation and will.  I am not prescribing complete removal of mature content, as we will always seek to satisfy our vices.  All I am asking is that as a society, we ensure that we do not stumble over our poison of choice but make the selection of our downfall more of an intentional act.