Jerk Off Instructions
Jerk off instructions (JOI) is when someone tells another person how to masturbate. JOI can happen with a partner or through written, audio, or video content. In kink, it may be used for teasing, edging, orgasm control, praise, humiliation, or as part of a Dominant/submissive dynamic.
JOI is strongly associated with FemDom, and many videos feature a female Dominant directing a submissive male viewer. However, JOI can be given by people of any gender and doesn’t have to involve domination or power exchange. Some JOI is commanding or humiliating, while other versions are playful, encouraging, teasing, or instructional.
JOI can also happen live between partners or online, and may overlap with edging, orgasm control, tease and denial, praise, humiliation, and other kinks.
Custom JOI is also a thing. People request personalized videos or audio recordings from adult creators, sometimes with specific scenarios, wording, names, or styles of instruction.
Origins of the Term
The exact origin of jerk off instructions (JOI) is unclear. Similar phrases such as "jack-off instructions" appeared online by at least 2000, while jerk-off instructions is documented from at least 2008. The abbreviation JOI appears to have developed in online adult and fetish communities, particularly around FemDom and masturbation-control content.
Google Search data helps show when the term started reaching a wider audience. Searches for “jerk off instructions” were virtually nonexistent through most of the 2000s, then began climbing around 2008–2009. Interest rose quickly through the early 2010s and reached its highest point around 2013–2014, which lines up with JOI becoming an established porn category and spreading across tube sites, clip stores, and online communities.
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