Call it a case of social media imitating life — or just plain media.In 1964, US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart uttered the infamous phrase, ‘I know it when I see it” to describe hard core pornography amid a challenge to First Amendment obscenity laws.Fast forward 60 years And now Twitter (‘X’) is bringing one of the last taboos out into the open by allowing pornographic content on its platform. With exceptions.In an update to its official usage policies, the site now says users “may share consensually produced and distributed adult nudity or sexual behaviour, provided it’s properly labelled and not prominently displayed.”“We believe that users should be able to create, distribute and consume material related to sexual themes as long as it is consensually produced and distributed,” X says in the update. Much like Renaissance paintings in the Louvre..“Sexual expression, whether visual or written, can be a legitimate form of artistic expression. We believe in the autonomy of adults to engage with and create content that reflects their own beliefs, desires, and experiences, including those related to sexuality.”That said, the policy doesn’t come without conditions especially with respect to AI generated content or cartoons.Examples include depictions of “full or partial nudity, including closeups of genitals, buttocks or breasts” and “explicit or implied sexual behaviour or simulated acts such as sexual intercourse and other sexual acts,” according to X..“We balance this freedom by restricting exposure to adult content for children or adult users who choose not to see it. We also prohibit content promoting exploitation, non-consent, objectification, sexualization or harm to minors, and obscene behaviours. We also do not allow sharing adult content in highly visible places such as profile photos or banners.”It’s not sure who would immediately benefit from the changes, apart from porn performers themselves. As shown by the hush money trial of former US president Donald Trump, so-called ‘porn stars’ like Stormy Daniels — aka Stephanie Gregory Clifford — have infiltrated the mainstream of popular culture..“We balance this freedom by restricting exposure to adult content for children or adult users who choose not to see it.“Twitter (‘X’).That said, Twitter already allowed porn before Musk’s takeover. The company estimated 13% of all posts on the platform contained adult content, according to a Reuters report in October 2022 just prior to the official close of Musk’s Twitter takeover.Users who don’t want to see that kind of content will be allowed to change their user settings — or the company will do it for them.The company added that users may appeal a decision “if you believe we made a mistake.”
