[6] Because her father worked in IT, Stoya had access to electronics and gaming equipment, through which she developed her love of technology.

[7] Stoya began posing for adult pictures for a friend,[5] which eventually led her to modelling and working for alt-erotic websites.

[6] Stoya was featured in two DVD productions for Razordolls, and she made a non-sex, cameo appearance in two Vivid Alt titles[8] before being contacted by Digital Playground with a proposition to perform in a hardcore lesbian scene with Sophia Santi.

The scene in question never happened, but, in August 2007, she met with several Digital Playground representatives and was asked if she would star in a pornographic movie with male talent.

[10] The first scene that she shot for them was for Stoya Video Nasty (promoted on the DVD box as the first film featuring her engaging in heterosexual intercourse), but her first movie released by the company was Jack's POV 9.

[1][8] Even though Stoya was under exclusive contract with Digital Playground, Evil Angel director John Stagliano received "special permission" in 2013 to cast her in the sequel for the adult film series Voracious.

[24] She has published pieces in The New York Times,[5][25][26] New Statesman,[27] Esquire,[28] and The Guardian,[29] as well as an article in Porn Studies, a peer-reviewed academic journal.

[31][32] Stoya has acknowledged the importance of social networking in her career;[1] she was active on MySpace, Twitter, Tumblr,[33] and various Internet forums.

San Francisco-based Internet pornography studio Kink dropped Deen,[41] and the website The Frisky terminated his column.