Playboy Discovers the Web, Screws it Up

By Rachelle Bowden in News on Aug 25, 2005 6:15PM

Chicago's most famous porn monger, Playboy Enterprises, announced that it will begin publishing an online version of its magazine. The new format will debut on September 13, to coincide with the release of its October print issue. The online version will have pages that you can turn (without having to worry about them getting stuck together), and will allow you to zoom in on the pictures. Readers can purchase single issues or a subscription.

Playboy's CEO Christie Hefner, daughter of Big Hef, cited sagging (hee hee) revenues since 1999 because, duh, people get their porn online now. But Chicagoist wonders how many would-be wankers will actually pay for Playboy's fairly tame content when there is just so much porn to be had for free online.

Which raises a larger issue that gripes us: these damn kids have it so easy today, what with their digital Playboys and truckloads of web smut. Back in our formative years, we had to WORK to find our porn. It was a clandestine activity that consumed just about all of our free time, digging through dad's closet, begging the cool older kids to buy it for us, then concealing our ratty, dog-eared copy of a 1972 Penthouse once we found it. Half of the thrill was the chase--now you just have to open your email account and you get 42 spam messages begging you to take their porn. Oh sure, parents can install web controls on their home computers, but what enterprising teenager these days doesn't know how to get around that? Ingrates.

Chicagoist for one applauds Playboy's new initiative, if for nothing else it makes the online porn experience more difficult and expensive, just like the good ol days.

Thanks, Matt!