Watching pornography is not naturally harmful to males or ladies. But I would use some caveats. There are individuals who probably should not see porn, like those with bad body image or those who have been sexually taken advantage of. Depending on your option in watching, you can develop impractical expectations about sex or what people like or how you'll be anticipated to "perform." And seeing with someone needs true consent.
When none of these warnings are up, pornography can definitely have benefits. Therapists sometimes recommend it to help individuals become comfy with a particular dream they or their partner might have. Pornography can reboot a couple's sex life. It can provide you ideas, or assist you get in touch with what turns you on.
Porn can reboot a couple's sex life. It can give you concepts, or help you connect with what turns you on. Porn can provide you there at best, or disgust you at worst. It all depends upon what you choose to see. With the accessibility of pornography online, it's possible to sample sufficient pornography quickly that you do not have to find yourself watching wall-to-wall hard-core sex if it's plot driven erotica that interest you. You're only a victim of bad pornography if you let yourself be.
And a word about sex or porn dependency. I don't believe in it. Unlike a chemical compound, like opiates, you can't become "addicted" to sex or pornography; you can become a compulsive audience. In this porn case, it's not the porn that's the problem; it's the compulsive character. If it weren't porn being used to act out one's compulsive nature, it might be food or some other habits.
As for whether it's damaging or beneficial to the performers, let's take females first. There are some who pick to perform since they like sex a lot and they consider it a great method to earn a living. Then there are those who are drawn to porn as a method of acting out subconscious mental problems-- trying to find daddy's love or punishment for being a bad lady. For many, it's most likely a little of each. Even women with the very best mental health will face some disadvantages from this work. Our culture consumes pornography at record numbers, but the ladies who perform are still judged roughly.
I'm uncertain the male entertainers get out totally unscathed either. While they may not be evaluated as harshly as the females, ultimately they're considered as freaks who make their living with their anatomy. John Holmes's fate is the ultimate cautionary tale.
Possibly if we weren't still so taken in with guilt and embarassment about sex, neither watching nor carrying out in these films would carry the weight it does. However then, perhaps we would not be so interested in them, either. If the fruit were not forbidden, would anybody care to take a bite?