HOW SEX CHANGED THE INTERNET AND THE INTERNET CHANGED SEX

A colorful, graphics-heavy exploration of how “the internet was built on sex, and sex has remained its through line no matter how hard some people try to deny it.”

Before smartphones and social media platforms, the earliest days of the internet began with connections and communication, and a key part of that was sex. “A demand for sex built the shopping cart, browser cookie, ad revenue models, payment processors, and the dynamic web page,” writes Cole, a senior staff writer for Motherboard, VICE’s science and technology outlet. “The desire to explore and share our sexuality constructed the internet, piece by piece, as we know it today.” The author takes us back to the earliest days of the internet, when communication online was difficult and slow. She then discusses how the development of graphics on computers can be traced back to a test image of the face of a Swedish Playboy model in 1972. She moves on to the explosion of user-generated content, from early Bulletin Board Systems; to “lifecasters” like Jennifer Ringley, who launched her 24/7 webcam site, JenniCam, in 1996; to current tech developments, legislation, societal changes, and the figures, legitimate and exploitative alike, who have profited from creators and users—including those who use deepfake technology as well as Pornhub and a wide variety of online hosts for porn of every variety. “This is a history of control: how we had it, grappled for it, lost it, and how we can learn from the past to get it back,” writes the author. “And it’s a history that’s still being written as I type this. Power to the workers, the players, the posters, the survivors, my fellow members with me in the ‘now online.’ ” Cole presents an easy-to-read package complete with relevant sidebars (many of which define key terms), screenshots, photos, and other graphic elements.

An engaging look at a topic that many choose to ignore or are too embarrassed to discuss.