Editorial

This issue opens with two pieces of research examining realms of sex work, the emergence of online communities on Pornhub and the dynamics of online sex work platforms such as OnlyFans. In both cases, examination of how digital platforms shape labour dynamics and social interactions within the sex industry highlight the complex interplay between newfound freedoms and heightened vulnerabilities, whether it's the solidarity-based community emerging amidst the densities of pornographic content or the nuanced challenges faced by online sex workers navigating regulatory landscapes.

Looking back on the global health crisis caused by Coronavirus, Joan Ramon Rodriguez-Amat and Yulia Belinskay delve into the dynamics of online interactions, particularly on Pornhub. Employing quantitative, qualitative, and network analyses, their research focuses on the comments section of 166 videos categorized under the 'COVID-19 porn genre.' Their investigation uncovers the emergence of a community of practice marked by shared meanings, and hierarchical structures. ‘No coronavirus can leave us without sex’: relations of complicity and solidarity on Pornhub’ contributes to the discourse on online communities, exploring a network of connections among users and identifies shared linguistic traits and interactions that transcend video boundaries. While challenges of stereotyping and gender discrimination persist, Rodriguez-Amat and Belinskay find evidence of forms of ‘complicity’ and common values, hinting at the existence of a genuine community amid the complexities of pornographic production/consumption and platform economies.

In ‘OnlyFans as gig-economy work: a nexus of precarity and stigma’, Gwyn Easterbrook-Smith critically examines the OnlyFans platform as emblematic of platform-mediated gig-economy labour which exhibits both expanded freedoms and heightened financial vulnerability. Their study enquires into the intersection of gendered labour divisions, sex work stigma, and the complexities of various regulatory models. By tracing the historical marginalization of sex workers and the multifaceted impact of legislative interventions, their research reveals how attempts to safeguard workers often compound vulnerabilities. Extending the analysis to highlight the intricate interplay between online platforms, intermediary services, and payment processors Easterbrook-Smith underscores the structural challenges faced by sex workers within this fast evolving socio-economic landscape.

Both these research works address the broader socio-economic context circumscribing the experiences and agency of sex workers, touching on issues of marginalization, stigma, and gendered divisions of labour while highlighting the necessity for continued exploration of the multifaceted challenges that sex workers face, whether operating within traditional pornography or the evolving landscape of online platforms.

Turning to pornographic texts, Patrick Galbraith’s contribution to this issue, ‘The ethics of imaginary violence: early animated pornography in Japan’, focuses on Cream Lemon, a prominent pornographic anime series of the 1980s, often associated with the 'lolicon boom'. Close textual analysis of an episode of Cream Lemon highlights the intricate interplay between pleasure, society, and marginalized identities and, drawing on insights from manga/anime editor and critic Sasakibara Gō, reveals how such animated texts challenge conventional notions of reality and realism. Galbraith’s reading culminates in an exploration of ethics, 'otaku' culture, and the pursuit of eroticism, paving the way for a broader understanding of the intricacies of imaginary violence in the Japanese anime and hentai landscape.

In ‘Softcore romance: on naked heroes and beefcakes in popular romance novels’ Jonathan Allan engages in ongoing questions surrounding the categorisations of popular romance novels. Rather than focusing on whether the romance is absolutely distinct from pornography, Allan proposes a reframing that examines degrees of explicitness within romance novels. Analysing scenes from several novels in which the male protagonist appears naked, Allan explores the significance of nakedness in these narratives – particularly categories of ‘imagined nakedness’ and in ‘shower scenes’. The persistent debate about romance novels' classification underscores the importance of making nuanced distinctions between different forms of explicit content such that terms like "softcore" and "beefcake" retain their analytic usefulness, even as they are no longer so significant to marketing. Allan’s analysis highlights how naked bodies are utilised within romance novels to evoke desire and romance, contributing to a broader understanding of the genre's relationship with eroticism and explicit content.

Categorisations of violence and romance are also highlighted in Anna Marta Marini’s ‘Erotonoir, pornographic representation, and transxploitation in Howard Chaykin’s Black Kiss’.  Comic noir Black Kiss offers an intricate narrative exploring the dynamics of human relationships through explicit sexual encounters that also disrupt conventional gendered norms and challenges stereotypes. Marini explores the comic’s ground-breaking dissection of conceptions of authenticity and the ‘emptiness of popular culture’. Black Kiss uses graphic visual cues to communicate gender, scrutinise how trans identities are perceived and confront transphobic attitudes. Amid its subversive narrative, the comic stands as a testament to its counter-hegemonic value, shedding light on social biases and advocating for self-acceptance and authentic emotions.

Our final article moves into the underexplored domain of audio erotica, in ‘Let me take care of you: domestic caretaking fantasies in boyfriend experience audio erotica’, Athena Bellas and Jodi McAlister focus on the unique characteristics of audio porn. Even as pornography is often characterised by its visuality, Bellas and McAlister explore how the formats of sonic narratives have growing significance in contemporary times. Their study centres on Dipsea and Quinn, prominent audio erotica apps catering primarily to female listeners, and particularly delves into the male-for-female (M4F) boyfriend experience (BFE) genre. BFE immerses female listeners in eroticised domestic fantasies characterised by male caretaking practices. These sonic scenes of eroticised masculinity are, Bellas & McAlister suggest, opportunities to comprehend contemporary 'porn for women.' In analysing these apps' narratives and paratextual elements, the implications of audio erotica within a broader context of porn consumption, feminism, and alternative pleasures can be understood. This exploration of audio erotica's unique affordances has potential to shape new directions in research about porn consumption.

This issue’s research articles collectively explore diverse aspects of contemporary pornography, ranging from the emergence of online communities to the ethical implications of erotic content, the intricacies of platform-mediated labour, nuanced explorations of explicit content in literature and visual media, and the subversion of gender norms through narrative.