Virtual Sex: A Blessing or a Curse?

As technology advances at a rate previously unheard of, are you at risk of being replaced as a sexual partner?  The verdict is still out and people are very passionate on both sides of the fence.  Is the rapid advancement and combination of technology and sex a good or bad thing?

First of all, it is important to remember that sex and technology have a very long and intimate history together.  For those of us who remember VHS tapes and VCR’s, that technology was driven by makers and consumers of porn and as a result drove out the competitor Betamax.  You may have enjoyed a pay per view movie or event recently, again that technology was driven by porn.  If you can remember back when hotels would have porn movies available and you would pay for only that movie (how many times do you think hotel front desk staff have heard “I swear it wasn’t me, it must be a mistake”).  Fast forward, we are now in the world of fully immersive virtual sex, yes, I said fully, including smell (yes I said smell), taste, touch, sound and sight. So where do we draw the line?  Or do we need to draw the line?  What are the dangers?  What are the benefits?

Let’s take a closer look:

Potential Pros:

• Pleasure is a good thing and people have a right to it
• Provide a sexual outlet for those who cannot access sex with a partner (neurodivergent, physically disabled, those that suffer from social anxiety disorders)
• Can provide connection for those in long distance relationships
• Ability to customize your experience to meet your needs and wants
• Simple, quick and easy
• An opportunity to explore your sexuality, expand your boundaries and allow you to fulfill fantasies without judgment, guilt or fear
• Practice/try something new (build self esteem and confidence)
• No risk of pregnancy or STI transmission (must be cleaned properly)
• Reduce pressure and performance anxiety
• Therapeutic uses for those victims of sexual trauma
• Sexual satisfaction for those who live in remote areas

Potential Cons:

• Cyber-sickness, nausea or motion sickness due to the disconnect between the perceived motion and the lack of motion in reality
• Social Immobility, people getting lost in the world of virtual reality and essentially losing interest in reality
• Miseducation about gender/sexuality/body image, fantasy partner(s) could cause unrealistic expectations of human partners/sexual experiences.
• The unknown, as this is new technology there are no long term studies that have captured the impact of VR sex

As with all of the intersections and iterations of porn and technology there will be those doomsayers that will predict a social collapse due to people choosing virtual partners over real partners.  These are the same people whose ancestors warned of blindness, harry palms and reduced life force when the only technology was your right hand.  I come from a more positive school of thought, that being that people are going to explore what turns them on and what works for them as they always have and I predict always will…………… and we will still be around in 100 years…… well at least we won’t be eliminated because of virtual reality porn.  If you are exploring VR porn I encourage you to establish guidelines and boundaries for yourself and then fill your boots.

I leave you with some things to think about for yourself.  VR Porn brings up some interesting questions.  

Does VR Porn:

Promote infidelity?

Is it considered cheating?

Rethinking monogamy: idea that arousal if caused by one person and anything beyond that person constitutes infidelity. But what if it didn’t?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.