Digisexuality

A wide variety of behaviors falls under the umbrella of digisexuality. Some of these activities are relatively mainstream, like online dating, sexting, and viewing online pornography. Others are still emerging, like using Wi-Fi connected vibrators that respond to your playlists, chatbots that respond as if they’re in relationships, and sex robots equipped with artificial intelligence.

People may develop a preference for digisexuality. This typically occurs after failed relationships with human men or women, because people don’t feel comfortable interacting with humans, or because people don’t appreciate the demands human partners make. However, for most people digisexuality is something they experiment with in between or during relationships with other humans. All these people can be classed as digisexuals as technology is a part of the way they express themselves sexually.

Some people fear that digisexuality could have negative effects on society by decreasing our capacity for empathy and successful human relationships. However, others believe these concerns are unfounded. They believe that in time we will come to accept all forms of digisexuality simply as part of our society.

Others, like the members of the activist group Campaign Against Sex Robots, believe using robots and artificial intelligence for sexual gratification is exploitative. They say that since sex robots often look like women and children, their use contributes to the sexual objectification of these groups. While some digisexuality supporters say the use of sex robots could reduce incidences of sexual assault and abuse, they claim virtual sex increases a demand for human bodies and thus aids human traffickers.

As cybercrime becomes more prevalent, there are also fears digisexuality could put the privacy of people who use technology for sexual gratification at risk.