The evolving, or devolving, quicksand community!

[jadokast98]

Many of us from the late 90s will recall dialed up services (previously mentioned) click on a link... walk away... pour a drink and peak around the corner to see the dismal performance of the next page being downloaded... having a seat with your snack and watch the remainder of your download. How about the once a week (generally speaking) updates? I loved the summer time as it meant videos and photo sets. Winter was a dry season in many ways, and then later, so many videos were recorded during the summer, some were pushed out in the early winter. What takes 2 minutes now took 20 back then.

1999: "oooh... New video." Write check... Write purchase request... address envelope...2weeks later open box... insert vhs tape and relax.
2010s: "oooh... New video." Click "Add to Cart." Download in less than 5min and in some cases the video can be watched on a pc, laptop, tablet or phone. Way too cool imho.

Now, I can check to see a few updates at work on a break. Huge jumps in so many areas. I recall a thread about a "game", third person where we could walk our avatar around and sinking them. Then... Second Life. Wow.

I look forward to the next 15 years.

[Duncan Edwards]

Many of us from the late 90s will recall dialed up services ...<snipped a lot of good stuff>

I look forward to the next 15 years.

I think that describes the way I feel about it now. Things have changed to what we used to dream about. It's hard to have a problem with that.

[Mr Mudster]

Our society, as a whole, leans heavily toward consumerism. Some say it's worse now than at any other time in history, but I disagree. Having studied history for many years, I can say that it bears a sharp resemblance to a recidivistic path. Those like me, and others that have spoke of their "maturity", do tend to be more critical of the consumer mentality. But it is also what gives us the ability to make a living for ourselves! Ergo, we feed what feeds us!

[Nessie]

But regarding the desensitization problem, there is no complete fix for it.

The very first image I ever saw that was created by One Of Us will remain engraved permanently in my soul. It was the home page of Kaol's Ol' Sinkin' Hole in 2001, and it was of a smiling dark-haired woman in quicksand. I knew within a second what this was and why it was there.

I have seen thousands of photos since, sporting many more pixels-per-inch, of brighter color and clarity, featuring women who make their living modeling and acting. The image I remember, though, was made with a lady that Kaol had available to work with at the time. And this initial image, totally non-professional, remains burned on my brain cells.

Chuck and the other pioneers worked with what they had.

There was something very enjoyable about those early videos, because they were made just for fun by people who were friends.

It's an irony of human nature that a glut of things is often not as exciting as the arrival of one eagerly anticipated thing. And part of the problem with a glut of things is that finding the thing you actually like best can be a lot harder when there's a glut than it is when there are only a few things to sort through.

If your interest is very specific instead of broad, that can take time.

However, we have to consider the fact that the many things we have now are here because at one time, as a group, somebody somewhere wanted each and every one of them, and so, they were created.

Nessie

[Jumpoff_Joe]

I am simply curious about how why our community has changed as much as it has over the years...as I looked back today over my collection of photos that I have accumulated over the years, I notice a striking dissimilarity between those taken by Chuck Lang, Kaol, and "Demanding Urge", and the ones we see today...

I see a difference in the quantity and the quality. In the early days many of us weren't comfortable with expressing ourselves. And, with exploration, we found that we all have diversified tastes.

I see a significant paradigm shift in the themes of the videos and photos. It's no longer about the quicksand... It is, for all intents and purposes, porn! There isn't an emphasis on the substance like there used to be. The three most common recurring themes are: Damsel in Distress, Lesbian Make-Out Sessions and Solo Gratification!

I beg to differ. These themes were around back then. I recall reading stories about people being trapped deep and feeling the stirring in their loins as the mud massaged their erogenous zones. Damsel-in-distress is a common theme intertwined with nearly all of the movies that featured quicksand: to say that it didn't exist is like saying that the fetish doesn't exist. Even the picture that you posted shows a woman who appears to be grimacing, with her arms outstretched in a classic pose. Demanding Urge's photos -- as well as Kaol's and Chuck Lang's -- frequently depicted this theme. As for make-out scenes -- this was expressed much less frequently. In fairness, though, I would like to know just how many scenes available today are truly "lesbian make-out scenes." I venture to guess that these are not even 10 percent of what is being offered, if that.

...how many of us here still remember where we came from? When just the simple photo of a woman deep in mud was all we needed to bring us happiness. Do we remember the simple times?

Yes I do, and I'm not complaining about the present. I believe that we have indeed improved, and that the diversified and distinct wants of the community are being met. I am grateful for the wide array of content -- whether it be fan art, manipulations, stories, amateur photos or professional content -- that is being presented to help us better understand ourselves.