Online gambling of all kinds (from slots to classic casino games) is legal in the UK and while it has definitely seriously exacerbated "problem" gambling, it's NOTHING like porn. Mostly because almost every male and a lot of females masturbate to visual or textual stimuli (internet has also vastly improved access to largely very badly written but still usable smut, btw) and sexual drive is pretty universal. The BEHAVIOUR is not "porn usage", it's wanking, and it's universal for half the population and very common for the other half. Porn merely facilitates it in sometimes enjoyable, sometimes compulsive ways. Gambling is nowhere near as universal and while it hijacks our reward circuits, it isn't exactly instinctual.
(first, apologies for blowing up your notifications, I'm going through all the comments now!)
This is an interesting point and I also noted that you had some similar issues in a Note you posted. So two things I want to address:
1) Yes, I agree that all of the vices are actually quite distinct in certain manners, the universality being part of it. If we're being honest, I don't know any man who doesn't engage in the behavior you address. The other three main vices are far less universal. So I don't think the effects will be on the same scale. Really I just want people to think about and talk about if they're happy with exploding the use of gambling (which I don't think has a correct answer);
2) You've mentioned the UK and I thought long and hard about discussing the UK experience. I'm not sure I'd call myself an anglophile but ever since I was a child I have consumed a disproportionate amount of UK media which has only become more extreme in the modern day. Especially due to my love of football (aka soccer). There were times when I would find myself listening to podcasts for hours at work and it was jarring to hear an American accent. That exposed me to a LOT of advertising of gambling and how much of a gambling culture the UK has. In the end, I didn't run with this idea because I am a believer in cultural differences and I think - for good and ill - the UK and US cultures are very different. As such, I couldn't find a way to really intelligently address that example. But I hope anyone reading this article in the future sees your comment because these are two highly valuable points.
I am liking this post even though you have traumatized me by including that video of the Vikings QB being sacked. Sigh.
That being said, I enjoyed the article, especially your five categories—even with that terrible graphic—which are very helpful for thinking about how societies use shame, convenience, persuasion, and law to shape people’s actions. I do wish that we had a better way of resisting the internet’s “deal” on porn and snorts gambling, though. Neither is at all good for us.
Thank you! And yes, in some ways this was a ruse for me to get that graphic in there. I feel too many internet conversations devolve to "should this be legal or not" when what we really need to ask is "should this be encouraged or not." I'm quite sure you can think of some examples!
Reading this late. It would be a sidebar but libraries have really struggled with PORN until the CIPA act said, no federal $$ for Internet if you don't filter. But everyone doesn't filter and that meant the librarians had to create adult only areas-- essentially peep shows where kids couldn't see the screens. Once people got phones the library became less of a site for porn viewing but somewhere in my reading pre-smart phones I think that the argument was that homeless people need access to porn too, then some library workers sued as it was a toxic workplace but then phones --so even homeless people had porn access in their pockets. But library parking lots where CIPA in effect, they can't access porn.
I think you should do a separate post on gambling as it's going to be a tsunami. In Fl. the gambling hotlines are overwhelmed.
Wow. I've never even thought of this angle but honestly this sounds kind of horrifying.
And I intend to! It's difficult for me because here in Texas we still don't have legal sports betting, so I'm really outside the personal knowledge. I'm hoping to attend a wedding in PA, which does, and I definitely intend to download one of these apps and get a feel for how easy it actually is.
Online gambling of all kinds (from slots to classic casino games) is legal in the UK and while it has definitely seriously exacerbated "problem" gambling, it's NOTHING like porn. Mostly because almost every male and a lot of females masturbate to visual or textual stimuli (internet has also vastly improved access to largely very badly written but still usable smut, btw) and sexual drive is pretty universal. The BEHAVIOUR is not "porn usage", it's wanking, and it's universal for half the population and very common for the other half. Porn merely facilitates it in sometimes enjoyable, sometimes compulsive ways. Gambling is nowhere near as universal and while it hijacks our reward circuits, it isn't exactly instinctual.
(first, apologies for blowing up your notifications, I'm going through all the comments now!)
This is an interesting point and I also noted that you had some similar issues in a Note you posted. So two things I want to address:
1) Yes, I agree that all of the vices are actually quite distinct in certain manners, the universality being part of it. If we're being honest, I don't know any man who doesn't engage in the behavior you address. The other three main vices are far less universal. So I don't think the effects will be on the same scale. Really I just want people to think about and talk about if they're happy with exploding the use of gambling (which I don't think has a correct answer);
2) You've mentioned the UK and I thought long and hard about discussing the UK experience. I'm not sure I'd call myself an anglophile but ever since I was a child I have consumed a disproportionate amount of UK media which has only become more extreme in the modern day. Especially due to my love of football (aka soccer). There were times when I would find myself listening to podcasts for hours at work and it was jarring to hear an American accent. That exposed me to a LOT of advertising of gambling and how much of a gambling culture the UK has. In the end, I didn't run with this idea because I am a believer in cultural differences and I think - for good and ill - the UK and US cultures are very different. As such, I couldn't find a way to really intelligently address that example. But I hope anyone reading this article in the future sees your comment because these are two highly valuable points.
At the very least, the five-category image isn't any worse than my Mario 64 tangent which made a similar point.
I think this five category image may technically be a war crime.
I am liking this post even though you have traumatized me by including that video of the Vikings QB being sacked. Sigh.
That being said, I enjoyed the article, especially your five categories—even with that terrible graphic—which are very helpful for thinking about how societies use shame, convenience, persuasion, and law to shape people’s actions. I do wish that we had a better way of resisting the internet’s “deal” on porn and snorts gambling, though. Neither is at all good for us.
Thank you! And yes, in some ways this was a ruse for me to get that graphic in there. I feel too many internet conversations devolve to "should this be legal or not" when what we really need to ask is "should this be encouraged or not." I'm quite sure you can think of some examples!
Oops! Sports gambling! But I’m leaving this ridiculous typo in.
Reading this late. It would be a sidebar but libraries have really struggled with PORN until the CIPA act said, no federal $$ for Internet if you don't filter. But everyone doesn't filter and that meant the librarians had to create adult only areas-- essentially peep shows where kids couldn't see the screens. Once people got phones the library became less of a site for porn viewing but somewhere in my reading pre-smart phones I think that the argument was that homeless people need access to porn too, then some library workers sued as it was a toxic workplace but then phones --so even homeless people had porn access in their pockets. But library parking lots where CIPA in effect, they can't access porn.
I think you should do a separate post on gambling as it's going to be a tsunami. In Fl. the gambling hotlines are overwhelmed.
Wow. I've never even thought of this angle but honestly this sounds kind of horrifying.
And I intend to! It's difficult for me because here in Texas we still don't have legal sports betting, so I'm really outside the personal knowledge. I'm hoping to attend a wedding in PA, which does, and I definitely intend to download one of these apps and get a feel for how easy it actually is.