I want torrents, not tits!

Pornographic advertisements do not belong in our torrent libraries

By Brittney MacDonald, Staff Writer

Let’s all get honest here for a second and admit that as Canadians we probably download more music and movies than we pay for. We’re in an Internet age, and that comes with certain benefits for the frugal. Unfortunately accessing the Pirate Bay and other peer-to-peer-based file sharing sites can be a bit hit or miss if you don’t want a screen full of debasing porn ads.

I would never describe myself as a prude, and nudity itself has never been an issue with me since I left that awkward puberty phase. I’m comfortable with myself, my size, and who I am, so I don’t believe my criticism of these advertisements is coming from a conservative or envious place. I just think I should be able to search my favourite torrent libraries for Dolly Parton’s Greatest Hits, without seeing images of nude women being exploited to sell something to a demographic I don’t fit in.

As a 20-something female in a stable relationship, obviously these ads aren’t for me. They’re directed towards a generalized demographic of lonely, basement-dwelling, heterosexual men—a stereotype of Internet users that was deemed false sometime around the Y2K scare. Unfortunately, nobody told the advertisers that.

Advertisements that feature catch lines such as “Facebook for sluts” and “Russian women want to chat with you!” accompanied by often nude or underwear-clad women, just don’t get my motor running. Call me optimistic, but I find it hard to believe that they work on men either. What I find most facepalm worthy is when the ad is marketing something that has nothing to do with women.

Evony is a game I have seen advertised on Isohunt, the Pirate Bay, and Sumo Torrent. The ads themselves often feature scantily clad women—either real photos or suggestive, well-endowed cartoons—begging for someone to “come and play with me.” Now, given the nature of the ads, one might assume that the game itself is some sort of dating simulator or maybe an online role-playing game. Nope, Evony is purely a strategy game, similar to chess. So why then use naked women to sell it, and why advertise on every torrent cache or directory available? I have no idea, but then again, I’m not a marketing executive.

Given that so many people of all ages, marital statuses, and genders now use the Internet, I think that this method of advertising should go the way of the dinosaurs. The feminist in me is mad at the blatantly exploitative nature of these ads, while the realist in me is tired of being continually bombarded with advertisements that will never, ever interest me. To put it in perspective for our male readers, it would be like if every YouTube video was preceded by an ad for yeast infection medication.

There’s a simple solution of course. If you need ads, like many of these free-to-use sites do, then why not accept advertisements for things that all Internet users might enjoy, regardless of gender. Things like Snuggies or Mountain Dew—you know, stuff useful for all those late nights downloading the latest episode of Sherlock or Arrow.