Poll: What makes something "porn" as opposed to "erotica" for you?

[Hypoxia]

I, and a plurality so far, voted FALSE DICHOTOMY. Producers and consumers may have wildly different views of a piece's sexuality. Mainstream fiction, and even non-fiction, may contain extreme and graphic sexual elements without being labeled pr0n.

IMHO any distinction relates to marketing and emphasis. Will it sell better as pr0n or not? And for 'emphasis', behold my time-worn triage:

Non-erotic: sex is not central to the story
Erotic: sex is central to the story
Pr0n: sex IS the story​

Thus an action-adventure tale where the MC is graphically shagged a bit may be non-erotic because the emphasis is murderous destruction. That same tale could be erotica if the MC's path winds through sexy adventures. And it can be pr0n if the action-adventure is a mere framework for a series of fuckfests.

The word 'pornography' literally means drawing or writing about prostitutes. Now, beside "the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purpose of sexual arousal", pornographic can mean "exceedingly disgusting", as in pornographic violence and mayhem. Now we're in Jack the Ripper territory and no, I don't find it stimulating.

 

[litfan10]

There are way too many diverse viewpoints to ever get a shared common ground which is why we have all powerful site owners. It has to be their call. This is true of any erotic site. Kinks are too widespread and far from shared; what is one person's turn on can be another's turn off. Neither is right or wrong about what is and isn't acceptable.

My viewpoint: I like both porn and erotica. "Porn" to me means down and dirty sex. No characters, no plot, no story line.
Now we get varying degrees of including that content leading away from straight porn until you reach pure "erotica" which is characters in developed stories having explicit sex.

Visually, I want porn. Reading, I want erotica.

Now this is purely my definition.

 

[rescatooor]

While I do understand why people might consider porn to be erotica minus the artistic intent, I simply can't agree. How much artistic intention is needed? If we talk about film, for example, it's a project that involves plenty of people and some might be putting more effort into expression than others. So hwow much artistic intent is actually needed? Not to mention all the art movements like dadaism that apparently have next to zero effort put in what so ever.

So does it then all come down to the eye of the beholder? Perhaps. I'd use the terms interchangeably if erotica didn't have slightly better connotations. I promise my friends' and family's reactions would be slightly less favourable if I told them that I create porn as a hobby.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I could probably come up with a definition that worked fairly well for me, but even working off my definition I expect others would come to different interpretations.

 

[neci]

massive amounts of cum smeared everywhere.

 

[Hypoxia]

massive amounts of cum smeared everywhere.

And everything else is too vanilla to bother with.

That comes down to: If it gets you off, it's pr0n, and if it's only mildly titillating, it ain't.

Oh look, another cumbucket!

 

[Carnevil9]

Even if two people were to agree on a distinction between porn and erotica, say a focus on love versus sex, for instance, that doesn't mean they will apply it the same way. For example, if I were to watch a video of two women, clothed, tenderly kissing each other, that would probably fall into the erotica category for me; but my sainted old mother would be mortified by it and call it the vilest of pornography.

And while we're at it, I'm surprised nobody has quoted noted sexologist Tom Lehrer on the topic:

As the judge remarked the day that he
Acquitted my Aunt Hortense:
"To be smut
It must be ut-
Terly without redeeming social importance.

 

[Giron]

Very simplified

IMHO

Erotica is mostly a mind game.
Porn is mostly eye to hand coordination.


So it depends on the veiwer and what his/hers/its expectations of it is.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

I asked that question on the other poll and Hands bit mine.

But I spit it out. I don't swallow. Just needing to be clear.

For the OP's point: it's porn if I find it tawdry. Lots of things can make something seem tawdry to me, which is why ********* have become non-starters for me. Well, that, and having someone to look at that's better than what porn sites generally offer.

Tawdry can be ugly characters. Pancake makeup. It can be pathetic dialog. It can be unconvincing "orgasms." It can be prolonged closeups of genitalia - I just don't care about anyone's cock, and pussy is at best meh. It can be a premise that's patently absurd - "I filmed my sister in secret!" (Yeah? Why is she mugging for the camera constantly?) It can be a blatant attempt at misogyny - ok, I've seen you slap her three times already and if she's not into it by then you're celebrating abuse, not bdsm or dubcon. IR, to echo another thread, has always looked like porn to me. Any turn off is automatically porn and automatically closed, because I like keeping a closed mind on some subjects.

Basically, it's porn if it can't overcome my disinclination to believe that they aren't being paid to be in front of the camera. (I'm not sure why that sentence required a triple negative, but it did.) If it's a beautiful girl and you can make me believe she wanted to be there and feel that (or was at least unable to resist), it might be erotica.

 

[sr71plt]

But I spit it out. I don't swallow. Just needing to be clear.

For the OP's point: it's porn if I find it tawdry. Lots of things can make something seem tawdry to me, which is why ********* have become non-starters for me. Well, that, and having someone to look at that's better than what porn sites generally offer.

Tawdry can be ugly characters. Pancake makeup. It can be pathetic dialog. It can be unconvincing "orgasms." It can be prolonged closeups of genitalia - I just don't care about anyone's cock, and pussy is at best meh. It can be a premise that's patently absurd - "I filmed my sister in secret!" (Yeah? Why is she mugging for the camera constantly?) It can be a blatant attempt at misogyny - ok, I've seen you slap her three times already and if she's not into it by then you're celebrating abuse, not bdsm or dubcon. IR, to echo another thread, has always looked like porn to me. Any turn off is automatically porn and automatically closed, because I like keeping a closed mind on some subjects.

Basically, it's porn if it can't overcome my disinclination to believe that they aren't being paid to be in front of the camera. (I'm not sure why that sentence required a triple negative, but it did.) If it's a beautiful girl and you can make me believe she wanted to be there and feel that (or was at least unable to resist), it might be erotica.

Yes, I'm aware that in your world view it's all about you.

 

[latecomer91364]

For me, it's fairly simple. This is just my opinion:

Erotica focuses on the sensual and the emotions involved: It certainly can be explicit, but that takes a subordinate role to the first two mentioned attributes.

Porn focuses on the nasty over the sensuality or emotions, which are subordinate. When I write extended anal felching sequences, even if I do have an emotional journey involved, as in my story 'Cold Shock' (blatant self-serving plug), I'm not doing erotica.

Many stories are a hybrid.

Erotica = boner
Porn = quicker boner

 

[RetroFan]

Porn is shallow - characters with little or no depth, limited storyline and no clear motivations of characters. These stories tend to be shorter in length.

Erotica has more meaningful characters, a clear setting and storyline and the emotions of characters are explored.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

Since Pilot's looking for a general answer to what's clearly a personal view and preference:

Erotica and porn get you off. Porn gives you a vague ewww feeling about yourself afterwards.

 

[sr71plt]

Since Pilot's looking for a general answer to what's clearly a personal view and preference:

Erotica and porn get you off. Porn gives you a vague ewww feeling about yourself afterwards.

No, I think you're so busy preening yourself that you haven't read me on this topic for a decade. I've consistently posted that I believe there isn't a general answer to be had for such questions (nor should there need to be) because of the breadth of personalized views and preferences represented here.

When you decide to attack me, you should at least make an effort to get it right.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

No, I think you're so busy preening yourself that you haven't read me on this topic for a decade. I've consistently posted that I believe there isn't a general answer to be had for such questions (nor should there need to be) because of the breadth of personalized views and preferences represented here.

When you decide to attack me, you should at least make an effort to get it right.

Pity's sake, Pilot. When I attack people there's nothing that low key about it. I can't be bothered to attack people on the internet anyway; if I care that much I ignore them instead. So I don't think you have to get twitchy about me. I have opinions on people and things for certain, but that's part of my ineffable charm. (At least I think it's ineffable, and if you don't I'd rather you didn't try to eff it.) You don't like my egotism, fine, you won't be the first. But you know where the ignore option is. It's a solution that's worked for me concerning many; and trust me if I had some issue with you you'd join their unexalted numbers.

Sheesh. I thought you'd get a kick out of the "don't swallow" comment. There's just no amusing some people.

 

[Hypoxia]

So simple. 'Pornography' means producing texts or images of prostitutes. The end.