Prostitution is now thriving online, thanks to social media - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Prostitution is now thriving online, thanks to social media

IANS | By, New York
Aug 17, 2016 09:17 AM IST

With the dramatic rise in the use of social media platforms and the sale of sex shifting online, it has become easier for pimps to avoid detection, a first-of-its-kind study has revealed.

With the dramatic rise in the use of social media platforms and the sale of sex shifting online, it has become easier for pimps to avoid detection, a first-of-its-kind study has revealed.

Pimps are exploiting the anonymity that new technology and websites allow, say researchers.(Shutterstock)
Pimps are exploiting the anonymity that new technology and websites allow, say researchers.(Shutterstock)

They are even hiding their ads on mainstream websites such as Craigslist and Backpage.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

“We found that pimps are exploiting the anonymity that new technology and websites allow,” said Mary Finn, lead study author and director of Michigan State University’s (MSU) school of criminal justice.

“For police, targeted enforcement of the virtual world appears to have very limited potential to deter pimps from managing and advertising the services of sex workers,” Finn added.

Read: Neglect, violence, and diseases mar the lives of sex workers in India

For the results, criminologists from Michigan State University and Loyola University Chicago interviewed 71 pimps in Atlanta and Chicago to determine how their marketing decisions are influenced by police enforcement of online prostitution.

The findings, published in the journal Victims & Offenders, suggest pimps are generally thriving by adapting to new technologies and utilising deceptive online marketing tactics.

The pimps reported an average annual income of about $75,000, with more than one third of them making at least $1,00,000.

Technology has reshaped the contours of prostitution, with an estimated 80% of all sales of sex now occurring online.

Pimps are thriving by adapting to new technologies and utilising deceptive online marketing tactics, finds a new study. (Shutterstock)
Pimps are thriving by adapting to new technologies and utilising deceptive online marketing tactics, finds a new study. (Shutterstock)

Law enforcement has focused most of its efforts on monitoring sites used frequently by the public, mainly Craigslist and Backpage.

But most pimps said they still advertise on those sites, albeit deceptively — hiding the solicitation under the auspices of a massage or date, for example.

Specialty websites have also taken off, and online-savvy pimps use their own language, symbols and disingenuous photos to advertise their services and communicate with customers.

Read: Why prostitution should not be a term of abuse

“They even have mobile apps now so when you’re in a city and you want to know if there is a prostitute nearby, you type in your address and it will give you the locations,” Finn said. “So the technology they are using to market the sale of sex is pretty phenomenal.”

Finn interviewed pimps in the conference room of a university building. The pimps were recruited through ads placed on Backpage and paid $60 per interview.

As long as the demand is there for illicit sex services, there will most likely be a market for it, Finn suggested.

“Targeting prostitution is going to have a minimal effect until we decide how we want to regard the sale of sex,” she noted.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.

Oscars 2024: From Nominees to Red Carpet Glam! Get Exclusive Coverage on HT. Click Here

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On