NOTHING HAS CHANGED - PEOPLE JUST HAVE MORE ACCESS TO INFORMATION
One of the most beautiful experiences I have when I hang around older friends, is enjoying the privilege of being the one to listen and enjoy the wisdom of those who've been where I'm headed, done what I'm about to do and healed from scars I'm about to have. So anytime I have that opportunity (like early this week), I cherish it with all my heart.
As always, one thing led to another and they told stories of some of the craziest things they did while growing up. And it sounded so much like what happened in my days. They talked about drugs, tobacco, alcohol and sex; parties and the songs that make everyone at the party go wild. We broke down lyrics of songs that a lot of people thought were just songs - Pull up to my bumper by Grace Jones, Let's hear it for the boy, by Denice Williams, Secret Lovers by Atlantic Starr, to the really obvious ones like songs by Marvin Gaye, Rickie James, Millie Jackson, Two Live Crew, Meat Loaf, KISS, etc. We talked about a lot of people.
All through the ages, we've always had people who fought, stole, killed, slaved and or "humped" their way to the top, both in politics and in business. Hundreds of years ago, porn was more real and sophisticated. You go to shows to actually watch people doing it live. Those who enjoyed it knew where to go to get it. There were parties where naked women lay spread on dining tables dressed in all kinds of food (so lady Gaga wasn't the first) and participants would eat till they get to the women's birth suit. Women also had parties where they used men for it.
Hook-ups were very common too. They only had classier names, like Courtesan, Escort, Confidant, Concubine, Personal Assistant (women used this more for their small boys), before we started hearing prostitute, whore, bed wench, gigolo, bitch, etc. As a matter of fact, most of the later and more derogatory terms came in/were used at people who were seen as being of a lower class like slaves and people who couldn't negotiate their worth.
The only difference in the world today is information, how it is spread and how far it goes, thanks to technologies like social media, which has made more popular or notorious (as the case may be) events (and content) which back in the day would have been quiet, private and localized. There were parents and family members who shielded their kids and kin from events and lifestyles that were capable of exposing them to a way of life inconsistent with their culture and destiny. There are people still doing that today.
So remember that social media is just a technology. The question of what has changed must be for THE PEOPLE who use the technology.