How erotic magazines are rapidly being replaced

Erotic magazines are going through the worst moments in their history, swallowed up by the Internet, which offers a broader and, above all, much more explicit offering.

Situated halfway between erotica and pornography, publications such as Penthouse, Playboy, and Hustler were born and grew in the heat of sexual liberation, becoming classics of the genre.

These magazines garnered support among the male population with a circulation that was even higher than that of other general-subject publications. In the 1980s, they also achieved a happy coexistence with the video industry, which, far from putting an end to them, led to a boom in the pornographic industry.

But if the moralists who opposed the birth of these magazines 50 years ago were to look at the internet today, they would have a heart attack. The offer of sexual content is overwhelming, not only because of the huge number of websites but also because of the variety of themes that can be found with just a click of the mouse. Specific content like India Reynolds nude pics can be accessed in jus t a few seconds.

With just a few keywords, a few clicks, and the patience to scroll through the pages of the Internet, anyone can find porn content that they truly enjoy. There is no more “imposition of taste” that used to be done by print media companies as streaming platforms continue to be born and evolve in increasingly varied genres. And since the Internet became accessible on smartphones, the number of porn lovers has skyrocketed.

In contrast to the fantasy and erotic illusion offered by magazines, internet users can find explicit images across the entire pornographic spectrum online, from artistic nudes and softcore porn to the most sordid and perverted paraphilias. The freedom and lack of control offered by the Internet has boosted the volume of sexual pages, to the point that, according to Forbes magazine, cybersex already equaled pornographic publications in revenue in 2001, with an estimated $1 billion annually.

Forbes estimates that the porn industry generates between $2.6 and $3.9 billion annually, a figure far below the $10 billion estimated by The New York Times in a report published in May 2001. 

For the “businesses” in the global porn industry ecosystem, the less-than-expected money flow is a result of many platforms offering content almost for free. The world has changed and the trend towards the so-called democratization of porn allows more people to get involved in the industry with minimal financial support. 

For the newspaper, companies dedicated to pornography have managed to surpass the major sports leagues and even the Hollywood industry in revenue. The truth is that people's interest in pornography will never decrease, it's just that there is a change in their behavior when it comes to accessing pornographic content. This is a very impactful change, which has started in a big way since the early 2000s.

Paradoxically, the rise of porn is overwhelming adult magazines, which are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with the convenience of home Internet access. "The future of porn has definitely migrated to electronic media," declared Bob Guccione, the extravagant founder of Penthouse, one of the pioneers of the genre along with Hugh Hefner, the millionaire publisher of Playboy, a few months ago.

Penthouse has been one of the publications most affected by the competition from cybersex, as its sales have fallen to 500,000 copies, down from five million a few years earlier. That significant drop in sales could not be viewed positively by any of the most ardent experts. It was a sign that their niche was truly untenable.

Just this week, the magazine's publisher, General Media, was forced to file for bankruptcy, burdened by debts to its creditors, which are around $40 million.

Playboy has weathered the crisis more successfully and currently maintains a monthly circulation of 3.2 million copies.

Over the years, porn magazines have toughened their content and, above all, their cover images, in an attempt to attract new readers. But the measure has backfired, as the owners of stores that sell the magazines have been forced to place them in less visible locations, or even to do away with them.

This has only accelerated the decline in sales so that in a few years, erotic magazines will be available only to those without internet access or those nostalgic for paper. There's a market for everything but the market for erotic magazines is getting smaller and smaller. 

What does that mean? They are “ancient artifacts” that can't really compete in this digital age. Change brings convenience and each convenience leads to another. At least that is what has, is, and will continue to happen in the industry. People won't move on from the conveniences they already have and that continues to add the death hammer to all things physical.