BlackBerrys, Facebook Have Changed the Face of Prostitution, Sociologist Finds

Today's high-end prostitutes book their own appointments on BlackBerrys and rely on Facebook, rather than pimps or madams, for self-promotion. That, in a nutshell, is what Columbia sociology professor Sudhir Venkatesh discovered while doing research for a Wired report on New York's sex workers. Venkatesh spent a full year following some 290 sex workers in the city, and made careful observations on how new technology has changed the nature of their work.

Instead of using pimps or escort agencies, many sex workers have launched their own sites, in order to avoid giving big cuts to any middlemen. And, even before Craigslist shut down its adult services section, many ladies of the night had already begun flocking to Facebook, where they can market themselves and attract online clients. In fact, Venkatesh predicts that by the end of 2011, Facebook will have become "the leading on-line recruitment space" for prostitutes and johns, which is certainly cause for celebration. BlackBerrys, meanwhile, are the smartphone of choice for an overwhelming majority (70-percent) of the workers that Venkatesh interviewed, because they look more professional, and, apparently, imply that a woman is disease-free. (Note to self....)

Essentially, then, the sex market is in a major state of flux -- but in a good way. Pimps are out of work, agencies are losing escorts, and ladies are regaining control over their industry. "No self-respecting cosmopolitan man looking for an evening of companionship is going to lean out his car window and call out to a woman at a traffic light," Venkatesh writes. "The Internet and the rise of mobile phones have enabled some sex workers to professionalize their trade. Today they can control their image, set their prices, and sidestep some of the pimps, madams, and other intermediaries who once took a share of the revenue."