Technologies that Enable Love, Sex, and Relationships Online
The development of online technologies, driven in part by the growth of the Internet, has paved the way for a whole slew of mediums, tools, and communications methods for individuals seeking to find love, sex, and relationships online. From the earliest beginnings of the Internet, the Usenet forums, including bulletin board sites, newsgroups, and ftp services have all proliferated as an attempt to expand and extend online communication, including the transfer of information across academic and professional circles. It is a long-standing joke among the online community that the Internet was started by a group of socially-inept computer enthusiasts trying to send pictures of naked women to each other. While this may be far from the truth, it is certain that soon after ftp and other electronic communication protocols came into existence, bulletin boards serving adult content quickly became a mainstay of this "virtual world". Today, it is no different. Technologies such as chatrooms, communication programs, bulletin boards, newsgroups, online archives, personals, and other assorted forms of online constructs have been quickly erected, none so popular as the pornographic (albeit increasingly commercialized) website. It is among these websites, services, and forums, that an increasing number of people are beginning to look for online replacements to the once "physical", "tangible", and even "emotional" need that had been fulfilled by traditional social activities. As more and more individuals look for love, sex, and relationships online, what is the effect of this phenomena on the existing social structure, and how does this ultimately effect the individual's development of social and interpersonal skills?
We will explore a few of the technologies that have enabled the individual to move the search for love, sex, and relationship to the online world. As well, we will discuss the possible effects of this new type of interaction on the individual.