In the digital age, Playboy has lost its relevance in the debate on gender equality

People used to joke that they bought Playboy magazine to read the articles. Now they may finally be telling the truth. The storied men's lifestyle magazine has announced its Playmates will no longer be photographed in the nude, though they will still be featured in provocative poses. To which people have immediately asked: what's the point, then?

The latest announcement is as much a commercial decision on Playboy's part as it is a disturbing reflection on the prevalence of pornography on the internet today.

Watch: Playboy to stop publishing nudes

From softcore to the most extreme and violent, porn is now readily available at the fingertip. Thanks to mobile computing devices like smartphones and tablets, you can watch it anywhere you want, and usually for free.

In such a social environment, Playboy, which prides itself on being tasteful, simply cannot compete. From its peak circulation of almost six million in the 1970s, it now prints only about 800,000 copies.