"This is not the algorithm room!": an aghast #AoIR2020 member upon accidentally turning up to the sex-themed group in the Machine Life discussion

In the Sex Room, we kicked off with the idea of "zoning": that sex should be allowed on more of the internet, but available to those who want to see it and hopefully without accidentally exposing children to adult material #AoIR2020

There's a great chapter on zoning as a way to designate certain areas/districts as permitting the display/consumption of sexual culture in (Sub)Urban Sexscapes: Geographies and Regulation of the Sex Industry (Routledge 2005) by @ProfAlanMcKee B McNair & A-F Watson #AoIR2020

Former Tumblr (RIP) 'zoned' NSFW content through user-labelled blogs as @TarletonG explains here: http://culturedigitally.org/2013/07/tumblr-nsfw-porn-blogging-and-the-challenge-of-checkpoints/ But as @DugStef argues, it seems nothing but abstinance satisfies advertisers these days? #AoIR2020

They tried the "porn access requiring age verification" thing in the UK and it failed, @DrClarissaSmith reminded us. The conversation was often often driven by conservatives who want to establish a reputation of Doing Something #AoIR2020

Why don't we ask children what kind of context or safety they need around the NSFW, asks @DrClarissaSmith #AoIR2020

What happens when sex online is pushed into abandoned spaces, seedy corners, or smaller platforms? It's a loss when people can no longer stumble upon sexy topics they might have a lot of interest in, for example, through Old Tumblr #AoIR2020

For some, the ultimate fear they have for their children roaming the internet is that they'll stumble over Goatse. But why? Wouldn't it be more troubling to have them stumble upon something really violent, or radicalising, or disturbingly right-wing? #AoIR2020

Across platforms, in terms of their moderation rules, sex is often considered the worst offender, @kkatot tells us. Maybe because it's easier to detect automatically than other kinds of content (although algorithms do still suck at it)? #AoIR2020

Or maybe sex is targeted because many platforms are American-owned, so there's an American prudishness that goes along with the platform culture? @kkatot #AoIR2020

The Sex Room was interested in the kinds of alternative/local/smaller platforms for sex. What if porn performers prefer smaller platforms they have more autonomy and power on, but audiences gravitate to more visible platforms like OnlyFans #AoIR2020

Porn performers need more support from platforms #AoIR2020