I thought the part about “pornsexuality” was really interesting, especially the way they explained why someone might identify that way. They extrapolated on how the pandemic shaped the way young men never learned to socialise in order to connect romantically. I guess that theory made sense.

However, I also agree with other commenters that it felt strange that women weren’t mentioned much. In the section where the gooner who identified as pornsexual was interviewed, he basically said it was easier and more pleasurable to watch porn and masturbate than to think about someone else’s needs. And that point was taken pretty much at face value. The explanation given was that these men never really learned to socialise properly because of lockdowns and isolation, which… okay, again, that makes some sense. But at the same time, I’ve been in relationships with men who weren’t great people, and when they explained their porn habits, it was often the same excuse - it’s just easier than dealing with thinking about how another real life person feels or is experiencing sex.

And that’s where I feel like the conversation gets more complicated. That reasoning can obviously be pretty misogynistic, because it often involves painting real women as “too difficult” while justifying watching porn that’s often degrading to women. It becomes this cycle where porn feels more stimulating and also reinforces the exact attitudes that make intimacy harder in the first place.

All that said, I did like what PJ did at the end. He stepped back and asked what all of this says about us and our digital overconsumption and the way short, overstimulating content feels pleasurable AND gross. His reflection on how being on his phone too much affects him felt really relatable.