Transparency in the Porn Industry

(Part 1 of 2)

It might surprise you to learn that in the information age, with instant access to data and facts, we still have issues with transparency.

Social media was supposed to fix that.

Yes, social media is heralded as the great equalizer. Social media gives voice to the voiceless. It’s a mechanism for righting injustices, for calling out political leaders, corporations and others to answer to the public when things go awry.

In essence, social media are the picket signs and bullhorns for our online public protests.

And yet problems with transparency persist.

Imagine how much more we would know if every industry shared more information online. How much would we want to know? Would we really care?

I posed this question about “caring” to some friends after reading a January mic.com article about transparency in the adult film industry.

Porn producers and performers actually want you to care about what they do, and they’re using social media to provide a more intimate picture of their industry.

As if it could get more intimate.

For years, the adult film industry has been utilizing social media as a way to connect with their fans. Love it or hate it, porn has made great strides, providing a clearer picture of the problems and pressures of their industry. They’re painting that picture on social media.

In case you think that their industry is already sharing enough and that no one would really care to know (or see) more, think again.

Sherri Shaulis knows a lot about transparency, porn and social media. Shaulis, a former Hubbard resident and Youngstown State University graduate, is the senior editor of pleasure products for the AVN Media Network.

One problem plaguing porn for years was the selection of nominees for its film awards. Shaulis set out to fix that misconception, and along the way, she developed a following on social media because of her role on the selection committee.

“For years, there was this idea that if a company bought an ad in [AVN] magazine, or if they had some sort of presence or sponsorship at the shows, it guaranteed they would win awards,” Shaulis said.

“At AVN, that’s simply not true.”

Shaulis turned to Twitter to shine a light on the selection process.

“When I became a member of the nominating committee, it bothered me that people still held this idea that the whole process was fixed,” Shaulis said.

“I wanted people to know how hard we worked, how much time we actually took to complete the nominations process and how seriously we are about the process. I had about 300 Twitter followers at the time, and many of them were in the industry, so I started live tweeting our meetings.”

During the selection process last November, she used the hashtag #avnawardsmeetings in her tweets as a means for capturing some of the dialogue overheard during deliberations. She did this to provide some proof that the committee is actually watching every film, every scene, and talking about what they’re watching – behind closed doors, obviously.

Shaulis’ tweets are priceless. You can follow her on Twitter at @AVNSher.

Check out part two of my conversation with Shaulis next week.