educational

MySpace Now A Porn Fav: 2

In part one we looked at how MySpace.com's sex-obsessed demographic fuels the website's popularity. In this conclusion, we'll continue our look at this powerhouse portal – and the powerhouse behind it all.

Struggling to translate their real-world success into success in the wired world, News Corp. and FIM were hoping to create "the ultimate home base for users' news, information, entertainment and community needs."

And that's where Intermix and MySpace enter the picture. As Hearst once famously quipped, "Putting out a newspaper without promotion is like winking at a girl in the dark — well-intentioned but ineffective."

According to ComScore, from June 2004 to June 2005 the number of visitors to News Corp. online fell 7 percent to 11.9 million from 12.8 million, whereas the number of unique visitors to the MySpace portal soared 1,400 percent during the same period to 17.7 million from 1.2 million.

Launched two years ago, MySpace is the fifth-ranked web domain in terms of total page views, according to ComScore. The portal is clearly targeted to teens and young adults — 30 million a month and counting — and features a variety of services, including personal profiles and blogs, email, instant messaging, music downloads, band and musical artist promotions, photo galleries, chat rooms and classified advertising — and more porn stars than you can squeeze into the San Fernando Valley.

But are the Murdoch-sized scandals attached to Intermix and MySpace worth $580 million?

In April, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed suit against Intermix, alleging that the company was the source of spyware and adware that had been installed on millions of home computers. The Attorney General documented at least 10 websites from which Intermix or its agents were downloading spyware, providing either no warning or other disclosures. In this way, Spitzer argued, Intermix and its agents downloaded more than 3.7 million programs to New Yorkers alone and tens of millions more to users across the nation.

Intermix settled the suit in June — one month before the FIM/Murdoch purchase — without admitting wrongdoing or liability. The company will pay the state of New York $7.5 million over three years.

Murdoch, Adult?
But the real issue here, critics say, is that by purchasing MySpace, Murdoch is, by proxy, buying a piece of the online adult industry and pimping News Corp. to a legion of porn fans, which is even more complicated by the fact that MySpace is regularly visited by underage users.

The MySpace Terms of Use Agreement specifies that member postings "may not contain nudity, violence, or offensive subject matter." Although most of the porn star and porn-related pages at MySpace contain only partial nudity or none at all beyond provocative clothing and night wear, XBiz found one member page with a hardcore photo of male to female penetration. The member, Sammy Da Slut, writes about herself:

"I work at night as a stripper. I have a baby and her name is Selina. Her father was a guy who picked me up off the street. My baby needs a real dad, so does anyone wanna come and try out? But really! I love sex. I started when I was 11 and had a child when I was 13. I like both men and women. I am harsh in da sheets."

When contacted by XBiz via email, MySpace offered no comment on Sammy Da Slut or about any of the porn star and porn-related pages that they host and certainly no comment on why a site with 30 million monthly unique visitors does not employ an age-verification system for the adult-related groups and pages. They did, however, remove the hardcore photo from Sammy Da Slut's page within minutes of receiving the email.

"How do you police 30 million people?" asks Monstar. "I police my own page. I personally approve every new member profile to weed out the kids."

Monstar likens his Porn Star Group to an online directory where those looking for reliable information about getting into the adult entertainment industry can find all the answers they crave. He posts porn star interviews and aggressively promotes all of the performers in his member group. He boasts of his feature "Monstar's Monthly Hottie," where he showcases a particular girl from within the industry, and he facilitates members who want to enter the adult industry by hooking them up with reliable individuals and companies.

"My website is really becoming symbiotic with MySpace," Monstar claims. "The Monstar MySpace Group is the jewel in the MySpace crown."

When Monstar's Porn Star Group debuted on MySpace, it was an open forum with a disclaimer upon entry that there was no nudity but there was frank sexual dialogue. When he discovered a 16-year-old member asking about getting into the adult industry, he immediately imposed an age ban.

A handful of members, such as Kylie Ireland, have followed suit but many others have not, and in the long run even those who self-police still maintain a front page visible to all users with sexual imagery and carnal dialogue. On one member's page a young porn star holds a dildo aloft and writes: "Come on! This double dong isn't going to fuck itself!"

Indeed, the compelling factor here is that if General Motors purchased MySpace for $580 million, Fox News would be solidly on the case, exposing what they would deem the immorality of a corporate behemoth. But when a media empire seeks to extend its reach to the Internet by purchasing an adult content-laden web portal, yellow journalism takes a holiday.

"You can crush a man with journalism," Hearst once declared.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

The SCREEN Test: How to Prepare for Federal Age Verification

For those who are counting, there are now 20 enacted state laws in the United States requiring age verification for viewing online adult content, plus numerous proposed laws in the works. This ongoing barrage has been exhausting for many in the adult industry — and it may be about to escalate in the form of a potential new AV law, this time at the federal level.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

How to Master Team Dynamics for Business Success

Having the right team in place is everything. Whether getting a startup off the ground and thriving, or safeguarding an established company, the right — or wrong — people can mean the difference between a successful venture and a failed dream.

Juicy Jay ·
opinion

Eight Steps to Fast-Track AI Site Approval for Processing

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic these days. AI technology is speeding up the way we do business across all industries and offers numerous benefits, from automating processes to increasing efficiency and scalability.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

How to Secure High-Risk Transactions With Network Tokenization

Ensuring the security of data as it moves through digital channels is the foundation of safe transactions, and crucial for your success. If your business can’t secure transactions, you’re exposed to myriad processing traumas.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

WIA Profile: Reba Rocket

As chief operating officer and chief marketing officer of Takedown Piracy, long at the forefront of intellectual property protection in adult entertainment, Rocket is dedicated to safeguarding the livelihoods of content creators and producers while fostering a more ethical and sustainable industry.

Women In Adult ·
opinion

Protecting Content Ownership Rights When Using AI

In today’s digital age, content producers have more tools at their disposal than ever before. Among these tools, artificial intelligence (AI) content generation has emerged as a game changer, enabling creators to produce high-quality content quickly and efficiently.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

How Payment Orchestration Can Help Your Business

An emerging payment solution is making waves in the merchant world: the payment orchestration platform (POP). It’s quickly gaining traction as a powerful tool for managing online payments — but questions abound.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Fine-Tuning Refund and Cancellation Policies

For adult websites, managing refunds and cancellations isn’t just about customer service. It’s a crucial factor in maintaining compliance with the regulations of payment processors and payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

WIA Profile: Laurel Bencomo

Born in Cambridge, England but raised in Spain, Laurel Bencomo initially chose to study business at the University of Barcelona simply because it felt familiar — both of her parents are entrepreneurs. She went on to earn a master’s degree in sales and marketing management at the EADA Business School, while working in events for a group of restaurants in Barcelona.

Women In Adult ·
profile

Gregory Dorcel on Building Upon His Brand's Signature Legacy

“Whether reflected in the storyline or the cast or even the locations, the entertainment we deliver is based on fantasy,” he elaborates. “Our business is not, and never has been, reality. People who are buying our content aren’t expecting reality, or direct contact with stars like you can have with OnlyFans,” he says.

Jeff Dana ·
Show More