Updated version of something I posted a while ago:

I’ve had many exchanges and conversations regarding how the sex industry has changed particularly over the past few years. My opinion is that the fundamental factors are mostly unchanged probably for many hundreds of years but some of the factors generating the more negative and destructive aspects are new or significantly changed.

I’m not going to dissect the industry in detail, more of that another time, I want to share some of my thoughts and observations around some specific factors behind recent changes. Firstly a little background to my current thinking.

Some of the things that I don’t believe have changed for time immemorial are:

• Society’s denial of the industry as a profession and treating it as a necessary dirty secret to be hidden away & never mentioned in “polite company”
• Prevalence of drugs in the industry - I’ll come back to this one as an area that has changed in other ways
• Treatment of sex workers as second class citizens not worthy of respect and protection let alone basic human dignity

Before I dive into some of the more negative changes there are some positive changes from my biased viewpoint:

• Here in NZ the Prostitution Reform Act has alleviated some of the issues around participation in the industry and we have seen more people come & go from the industry and certainly an increase in higher quality & professional providers. On the downside local communities and local government bodies flaunt the intent of the legislation and continue to harass legitimate small operators.
• Over the past 5-8 years the availability of internet advertising has made the industry far more accessible although the down side in this market has been pressure on price, NZ still has one of the safest and cheapest sex industries in the world, punters would be paying 3-4 times the local rate in any other “civilised” country.
• Professional sex is safer than in past generations let alone centuries. Overall the sex industry is a safer environment than the pub/club & internet dating scenes due to safe sex practices and influence of legislation like the NZ PRA
• It is easier for private workers to operate although the current situation in Auckland where apartment body corporates and building managers are actively tracking down and expelling anyone providing sexual services yet either allowing or turning a blind eye to other professions is causing some grief.

So, what are the things that are damaging the industry? For me the first two are the major problems in the NZ environment along with a few others:

• Drugs ! Drugs have always been a part of the industry one way or another but here in NZ we have a major problem. NZ rates at the top of the world rankings for drug and alcohol abuse, even worse NZ is at the top of the world rankings in terms of methamphetamine use - locally know as P elsewhere as crack. It is cheap, readily available and a scourge on society due to the neurological, psychotic an social damage it does. It is endemic in more of the sex industry than many will admit and one of the issues is that even when people kick the habit there are common neurological and psychotic side effects that can last for life. It is badly damaging our society let alone the sex industry

• Social networking sites like adult/escort forums and blogs are next on my list. There are some good aspects to these with some great review sites and forums out there that make information about the industry and providers readily available. There is however a serious downside. Rumour, scandal & damned lies have always abounded in the industry but before the advent of social networking sites it was hard for the shit to spread quickly.

  Now a simple post will send whatever someone says around the world in an instant quickly spread by RSS feeds, Twitter etc. The anonymity makes it worse with no idea of who is behind sometimes very personal attacks.

  I’ve just quit a particularly bad local one in the form of adultforum There are some good people on there and good posts but it typifies an environment where reputations and sex industry careers can be damaged or destroyed in an instant via false or malicious posts and background private message gossiping. That and the fact that any negative reviews of providers who advertise on the associated escort listing site (including warnings about unsafe practices) are immediately deleted leaves a twisted and sick blight on the industry. It’s not the only one like this but the biggest in NZ

  Over the past couple of weeks that particular forum has been dominated by a number of “elite” working girls waging battle in a particularly nasty and aggressive manner, do they not think of what potential clients would think when they see such foul crap on a forum when deciding who to book let alone the vile vitriol and personal baiting/attacks ?

• I’ve noted that ready access to internet escort listing sites has had a positive impact but there has been some downside with price pressure being the biggest
• Similarly the ease of entry to the industry has meant over supply making it harder for the average provider to make a good living.

So, overall there are some positives but two big toxins are seriously damaging the industry - drugs damaging the individuals as well as aspects of safety and quality of service. Then there’s the social networking situation spreading lies, rumours, false reviews (good and bad versions) and negative shit fast and across large geographies from the safety of an anonymous profile.