explornography

English

Etymology

Blend of explore +‎ pornography, coined by columnist John Tierney

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɒɡɹəfi

Noun

explornography (uncountable)

1. (derogatory, humorous) A fascination with historic explorations, particularly by reenacting them.
   • 1998, John Tierney, “Explornography: The Vicarious thrill of Exploring When There's Nothing Left to Explore”, The New York Times Magazine, July 26, section 6, page 18+

     Age of Exploration has been succeeded by the Age of Explornography

   • 1999 March, Michael J. Wolf, The Entertainment Economy: How Mega-media Forces are Transforming Our Lives, Times Books, page 169:

     The success of Outside magazine and its ability to generate blockbuster books such as The Perfect Storm, Into Thin Air, and the IMAX film Everest reflect an “explornography” trend of vicariously breaking free of civilization by entering into the natural world at its most capricious and violent.

   • 2002 March, Elizabeth Haiken, Artificial Parts, Practical Lives (multiple authors), page 171, NYU Press

     A core sample taken from the refuse pile reveals...Gore-Tex, that miracle fiber of “explornography”, then, a layer of Teflon and several layers of silicone solids

   • 2006 January, Peter Charles Hoffer, Sensory Worlds in Early America, Johns Hopkins University Press, page 12:

     Re-enactors are the ultimate “explornographers”—voyueristic seekers of long-lost explorer’s experiences.