The Future of Sex

Editor's Notes

• #2: As a business psychologist I’m interested in motivation and behavior Higher order drivers Lower order drivers So why is a business psychologist interested in sex? desire for sex is a basic human emotion. biological level socio-cultural framework suggests not to perpetuate our genes at all but just to enjoy the act. nature made the experience pleasurable Most of us satisfaction in monogamous relationships. We vary in the degree to which we have sexual desires and what will satisfy one of us may not satisfy another Even then, many people yearn for a better sex life, for sex that feels great, is guilt-free and healthy. hampered by our own inhibitions, lack of appropriate access, poor choice of partners, inexperience, ineptitude, fear of consequences.
• #3: The desire for great sex is strong. Affects most important choices who we go out with, who we marry, whether we choose to be unfaithful, if we’re prepared to risk pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, possible harm. And because lust is so strong an emotion, as a responsible society of futurists, we need to keep an eye on how, in the future, it will be satisfied. And as a responsible professional, mother and citizen, I want to be sure that we are ready and prepared to make the best of the future we are creating.
• #4: This is what I intend to do today. To ask What if, in the future, we all had access to great, guilt-free, healthy sex?
• #5: Would that lead to debauchery? There are some who believe that the future of sex will lead us into debauchery: a world where we’re all lusting after rampant sex, spreading disease and ruination, where sexual predators are free to roam undetected, where the black economy hides trillions of illegally earned income for government tax authorities and technology panders to the most dangerous of perversions that we cannot imagine. A society that unleashes the potential of technology to slide down the slippery slope to perverse, dangerous, criminal, violent, abhorrent sex, threatening not just individuals but society as a whole.
• #6: Or the democratization of sex? Perhaps the future will bring us all a share in great, safe, guilt-free sex. The internet will shift of control to the users, it will allow us to shape the best sexual experiences for ourselves, to enjoy healthy sex lives with partners who are good for us, it will empower those who have previously been silent, to have a voice. Which of these two scenarios are more likely? Lets look at the potential risks and benefits
• #7: Offering the vulnerable, the lonely, the addictive, and the compulsive a path towards self-destruction Tempted because genetically disposed by addictive personality to complsuive behavior, or because they are lonely, bored or unable to control their impulses may find the attractions of sex through social media networks, phone sex or on line pornography too much to handle and they overdo it. If able to draw back from the brink, that’s fine. But sex triggers elations and chemical highs like alcohoism and drug addiction. Addicts find it compulsive and spend money and time they can’t afford and it ends up controlling their lives. The number of sex addicts checking into therapy is increasing according to ATSOC Association of the Treatment of Sex Addiction and compulsivity. In the same way that one major player in the online gambling industry (Betfair) has attempted to be socially responsible by turning off the accounts of customers who lose too much, the adult entertainment industry will need to examine its increasing role in psychopathy of sex and pornography addiction and come up with measures that will protect its customers from self-destruction.
• #8: There are those in society who are vulnerable to predators. The sick, the old, the young, the weak will always be targets for those with malintent. A compassionate society tries to protect these people. It is ineviatble therefor that sexual predators or those who want to exploit or gain from the vulnerablility of others will push products and services to those not in a position to resist or refuse them. Those unfamillar with the power of the internet or the safety nets that can be put in place to protect them will see things that upset them, buy things they don’t want, be approached by people who mean them harm and end up injured or damaged in some way.
• #9: Internet, dolls, and virtual companions for sex, rather than attempting to have real relationships with real people. The press in particular has taken up this theme in general, warning parents not to let their children spend too long on line talking to virtual friends in case they can never make any real friends. The idea is that fantasy is more fun than reality, and of course we know it often is. Why would techno sex be better than real sex? virtual reality sex is already with us 3D Sex Villa, Red Light Centre, Second Life, Final Fantasy and to a limited degree Grand Theft Auto already with us, Increasingly intelligent sex toys may make techno sex more attractive than real sex improved materials that simulate real skin, soft, warm and able to produce fluids, used on dolls that are capable of thrusting, tensing and looking exactly like your dream partner, so who needs a real sex pal? 3d printing life size exact replica Lars and the Real Girl Young men in Japan use Loveplus to provide companionship of cartoon girls, gently provocative, relatively chaste, but as a learning tool to understand women or perhaps avoid them alotgether, not a bad start. So it may be too early to tell if too much interaction with fantasy makes us increasingly dissatisfied with the reality of real relationships or saves the shy and lonely from a life of isolation and misery. Lets wait and see.
• #10: premature sexualization of children through exposure to adult experiences. We cannot blame the internet alone. Beauty pageants risks are now endemic. Music videos, the gaming industry, advertising, social networks, dating sites. With little warning or foresight, schools and parents • The experience of real sex versus sex enacted in pornography: how are our expectations changing? • The use of sexually explicit imagery and lyrics in the music and entertainment businesses: Does it empower or exploit the artists? • Increased filming and posting of sexual acts on social media sites: Is this acceptable? And what are the data-privacy challenges? Parents at a loss. Very few schools have trained counselors, few schools have written policies on sexual behavior on school premises; of those that do, many are reactions to inappropriate behavior when it is discovered.
• #11: Another challenge law is so slow to anticipate and respond to developments. Some questions already Is a weekend away with a virtual girlfriend grounds for divorce? In other words, Does cybersex count as infidelity? • Should sexbots (and all robots for that matter) have rights? Humanoid rights? • Should virtual partners have rights? • Should you be allowed to use photographic images to program virtual partners to look like someone you know or fantasize about? • Should sex with machines be regulated like it is with animals and children? • Who owns the intellectual property when a sex toy is programmed by its owner and then sold or passed on for others to use? ❑ confusion and ambiguity. In the meantime, unless the law can keep up, those intent on exploitation and harm will get away with sex cybercrime as much as fraud and financial cyber crime.
• #12: The criteria for democratization include access. Currently, 2.9bn people have access to computers and a good enough signal to pick up the internet. That's around 40% of the population, with prediction from Eric Schmidt, Chairman of Google that everyone will be connected by the end of this decade. When we say everyone, that must include all those who previously haven’t had as much access to sex as they may have liked: - disabled, housebound/immobile, shy/awkward So the democratization of sex will open access and give voice to many previously cut off from a great experience. These are surely benefits?
• #13: Those who feel socially awkward and lonely can improve their sex lives without visiting prostitutes, breaking the law, or supporting sex slavery and human trafficking. Women engaging in cybersex don’t get pregnant, either. If sex with a device results in a better experience than the real thing, sex addicts may be able to satisfy their urges through technological means. Men, for example, who might otherwise rape or harm women might find that they can keep their urges under control in front of their computer, without prowling the streets.
• #14: Remote sex with a human partner: Real Touch, Lovepalz, Kiiroo augments and enhances performance at a distance. A recent survey of who you’d like to have remote sex with found more people wanting to choose a complete stranger 32% than their partner whilst separated by distance 25%.
• #15: Obviously we’re talking here about artificial intelligent sex bots Also with us are intelligent dildos that respond to your spoken commands, vibrate to your favourite play lists and remember your favourite moves, dildos that vibrate at the optimum weight and frequency to achieve orgasm also with us are improved materials that simulate real skin, soft, warm and able to produce fluids, used on dolls that are capable of thrusting, tensing and looking and sounding exactly like your dream partner the ability to 3d print out a life size exact replica of parts of your lover’s body or parts of your ideal body, if they’re not the one and the same Wearables such as Philips Haptic Jacket that allow feedback, sensation and movement to be generated all over the body and coordinated with a film you are watching or a VR immersion. hugging shirts from cute circuit will be available soon
• #16: Also in progress is the possibility of biochemical enhancement of the sexual experience on a far wider scale than just prolonging erections. The use of testosterone to enhance libido, serotonin to enhance sexual feeling, oxytocin and vasopressin to enhance attachment, dopamine and noraprephamin to enhance romantic love. We know these are possible candidates for the enhancement of feeling but much more needs to be understood about the real effects and risks.
• #17: Mind sex: technology that combines brain power with computing and allows us to experience sexual feelings without touching the body at all. In other words, we can experience orgasm just by thinking about it. We will also be able to instigate sexual feelings in others remotely by sending suggestions. Embedded body sensors that don’t just transmit physical feelings to another person, but emotional feelings too. (Heather Schlegel)
• #18: Our need as a species to engage in collective actions such as global choirs, large festivals, random acts of culture, massive on line gaming will surely mean that crowd orgasms will become popular as more people can connect and organise simultaneous experiences.
• #19: adult entertainment industry grow. In 2012, estimation pornography alone $97 billion globally and $12 billion in the US. other sex-related products and services, prostitution,. If we add the invisible and black economies, higher Big players seek ways of moving into the sex industry., brokers on Wall Street openly with adult entertainment companies. With their technological know-how and ability to exploit efficient routes to market, the mainstream corporations will be there before long. In the meantime, the smaller, more agile startups will spearhead the innovations and enjoy the rewards. Accept technological developments have benign influence or even a beneficial one on society, stop moralising about sex outside of marriage being wrong, about divsersity of sexual interests being deviant, see the potential fpr both psychological and financial health, then we might be able to gather taxes previously lost to our treasuries.,. nurses, teachers and others who keep society healthy, happy and prosperous. Philipines
• #20: So let me return to my original question: what if we all had access to better quality, safer sex? I think more of us would take the opportunity. It would be good news for the adventurous, for women, and for those whose mobility or exclusion had prevented them from accessing suitable partners. However, I also think that the future of sex holds dangers of increased license for those who wish to exploit the vulnerable, people who need our protection. The potential for an explosion of sexual activity is a no-brainer. Its already here, as the exponential use of pornography has shown us. (As study in the Journal of Adolescent health described an average of 6% increase in unwanted exposure to internet pornography between 2000 and 2005 but a decrease during the same period in the number of unwanted solicitations and harassment from Trends in Youth Reports of Sexual Solicitations, Harassment and Unwanted Exposure to Pornography on the Internet Mitchel, Wolak and Fenkelhor 2006 Carrol et al 2008 Pornography Acceptance and Use Among Emerging Adults found that 2/3 of young men and 1.2 young women found looking at pornography was acceptable. 9/10 young men and 1/3 of women reported using pornography.)