Cybersex? An issue or not?

The internet has proven to be an endless vortex of information for just about anyone and has allowed people to communicate and gain access to a vast amount of content with only a click of a few buttons. One of the biggest growing trends within society is sex and this is no exception with regards to the internet. Individuals can now utilize the internet to have online sex with other individuals without ever having to leave the house. Access to endless amounts of pornography is also available and makes one wonder if the act of cybersex really is just a concept. The following clip demonstrates a futuristic look into cybersex. Although we are not at this sort of level as yet it does give some insight into where we may be headed. For the sake of this argument the only part worth watching in the clip is probably the first 20 seconds however I do recommend the rest of the movie just for general viewing.



Although cybersex may seem harmless to some individuals it may also be seen as quite unhealthy for others. Our exposure to sexually related content throughout our everyday lives has made the issue of sex a much bigger concern for people and the growing amount of connectivity has helped the act of cybersex flourish through all sorts of different mediums. Cybersex can now be conducted through chat rooms, forums, facebook windows and even in games. I bet any one whos ever played an online mulitplayer game as a female would understand this quite well as girls within online games are the prime targets of sexual advances by male players, even if that female character is actually a male in real life. However as connectivity is made more available it can be seen that cybersex is expanding outside of just computers. Sex texting has become a new fad for teens and as mobile phones become more in use, especially with younger children, one can begin to wonder what complications this may have for younger generations. Granted it may seem like a harmless act however actions speak louder than words and it may only be a matter of time before kids begin to act on their texts thus outlining a significant complication with cybersex.

So is cybersex an issue? In the grand scheme of things I would have to agree that it is. For instance pornography is the biggest encourager of cybersex and can create all sorts of complications. I mean one wrong word typed into Google and 50 inappropriate sites could pop up for anyone to see, including young children. The act of cybersex also allows individuals to be more promiscuous and can encourages deceitful behavior between spouses. Although some may see it as a means of fulfilling certain fantasy's without actually acting on it one must ask where do we draw the line between harmless fun and cheating?
Although the act of cybersex is still a grey area it is one aspect that should not be overlooked so easily.

Are 2 lives better than 1?

Avatars were first used in order to create a lifelike representation of ourselves within digital media. Granted these avatars were never really accurate but at least most of us made an attempt to do so because it was never really seen as an important aspect of digital media. However as we begin to use avatars more and more within our different mediums of communication we have also created images of ourselves further away from what what we actually look like. Nowadays avatars are made to represent how we want to look rather than how we are in order to not only gain satisfaction from our peers but to also be more readily accepted by the broader community. This issue is interesting and is also brought up with the following video. I had just watched this movie recently and thought it gave an interesting perspective on avatars and virtual selves.



I used this movie as an example because a lot of hype has been given to the new reality based game called 'Second Life' which allows individuals to create their own avatar and use them within a virtual world aimed at being representative of the real world. Participants are able to communicate with other individuals, develop relationships, buy houses, fly and do an umpteen number of other things. But the thing I found most disturbing about the whole thing was just how attached to this game people had gotten. Stories about parents neglecting their children due to the addictive nature of this game was a scary concept to grasp. Other stories surrounding the game included virtual marriages and virtual cybersex as well as couples breaking up in real life because their partners had cheated on them within a video game. The fact that anyone could become this immersed in a game is becoming a very realistic concept and begins to provide merit to the meaning put forth within the movie 'Surrogates'. One must ask how long will it be before every aspect of our lives is controlled by a virtual avatar of our own?

People will argue and say that they would never become that addicted to a game and would argue how stupid it is, however ask them if they had ever played World Of Warcraft (WOW) and they will tell you its the best thing since sliced bread. WOW was rated as one of the best online multiplayer games and has shown a huge amount of players all around the world. Although this game may not reflect the reality portrayed in Second Life there are certainly a vast number of individuals who are just as addicted to this game as Second Life. So called 'clans' are made between players in order to reach certain goals and it is almost scary seeing how immersed individuals can get while playing this game. On a number of occasions i have watched friends of mine interact with the game and it is almost impossible to gain their attention once they have begun playing.

So the real question is how far is too far with regards to virtual realities? Are we slowly becoming the sort of society who conducts every aspect of our lives through a computer? I believe that we are becoming a more virtual reality based society however I would like to think that it is only conducted as a recreational part of our lives and not a complete replacement of our perception on reality. However that said this may only be due to a restriction in technology and as the advancement of technology takes us further into the future it is unclear just how dependent we may become on our virtual selves.