How porn sites soft-launched the attention economy

Available for over a year

With the advent of OnlyFans, pornographic content has become a fixture of mainstream social media. But the influence of the adult entertainment industry on internet culture arguably began decades ago. On this episode, Matt and Marianna are joined by journalist Patricia Nilsson who has reported extensively on the secretive personalities who control 'Big Porn' and the business model behind it. We discuss the revolutionary data tracking practices first implemented by so-called tube sites to monetise attention, the regulatory trade-off between safety and privacy, and why anonymity online may be leading to more extreme pornography fuelled by our most primal instincts. Plus - the feline answer to Pokémon Go. Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The assistant producer is Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Robin Schroder. The editor is Justine Lang. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Patricia's new book, Guilty Pleasure: The Pornification of the Internet, the Economy, and Everything Else, is out now: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/462785/guilty-pleasure-by-nilsson-patricia/9780241711293 If you want to get in touch about something that's popped up on your feed, our email address is topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.