The Influence of Technology on Sexuality
4 minutes
Technology has radically changed sexuality. Read on to learn more about this!
How has technology influenced sexuality? Technology and new forms of communication are some of the factors that have most influenced today’s society. They’ve gradually and consistently taken center stage. Furthermore, practically no areas or fields have evolved indifferent to its presence. Thus, they’ve also become protagonists in the field of sexuality.
Although there are many types of technology, cell phones are perhaps the most pervasive and disturbing. There’s no need to meet someone in person to exercise your sexuality. You don’t even have to touch another person to have a sexual relationship with them.
How has technology influenced sexuality?
First of all, technology has led to a wide variety of sexual content, along with information and virtual debate spaces. You can find more or less explicit sexual movies, as well as those without any censorship. Pretty much anyone can consume this content at any moment and in any way they want.
The absence of censorship has contributed to putting an end to many taboos but has also created many others. In fact, research conducted on adult cinema reveals that the scenes have little or nothing to do with reality. Similarly, women are portrayed as objects and they reinforce the idea that their refusal to engage in sex means the exact opposite.
The fact that the Internet makes this type of information available to everyone isn’t entirely a bad thing. However, you must be aware that children can access it as well. Ideally, nobody should try to impose their own ideas and beliefs on sexual encounters. Thus, you must learn to differentiate fiction (erotic film productions) from reality.
Sexting
Another way in which technology has influenced sexuality is the way humans relate to one another, whether they personally know each other or not. In fact, sending sexually explicit photos or videos has become quite common.
On many occasions, sexting is the spark that many couples need to boost their sex life. Therefore, it can be a rather valuable tool. However, you must be aware that any sexy picture you send can be shared with other people.
Dating apps
These apps have greatly reduced the cost of starting a relationship and they offer a whole world of possibilities. Thanks to these platforms, a person can meet others and decide if someone’s a fit for them or not. It’s as if the bar in which you used to meet people and flirt is now at your fingertips, meaning you can access it from pretty much any place that has an Internet connection. In fact, it’s a lot easier to do so when you know that everyone’s looking for a partner.
Thanks to this type of technology, it’s a lot easier to find a person you might like. There are more options to choose from and you can be more selective. In addition, it all happens quickly, and this meets the needs of many people who despair because they don’t have time to find a partner due to their busy schedules.
The downside to these apps is that many of the profiles aren’t accurate, as a lot of people tend to misrepresent who they are. Also, as there are so many people to choose from, relationships don’t last too long. Many of them end before the partners get to know each other better. Thus, many people end up as lonely as they were before.
Affection
The affective bond has definitely changed. Some dating apps have many subscribers, and you can interact with them if you like their profile picture. In other words, you can communicate with them and plan a date through the app’s chat feature.
Many people consider it an advantage, especially if they’re shy. However, the price of overcoming this obstacle technologically is that it’s much more difficult to meet good people. Also, it might lead you to avoid situations in which you have to use your social skills and keeps you from developing them altogether.
Conclusion on technology and sexuality
Nowadays, there’s more mistrust between couples than ever. This is a consequence of the way humans experience their sexuality and even due to absurd matters such as accepting a friend request from a person whom your significant other hasn’t met. As you can see, technology has clearly impacted sexuality.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Búrdalo, B. (2000). Amor y sexo en Internet (Vol. 2). Biblioteca Nueva.
- Fajardo Caldera, M. I., Gordillo Hernández, M., & Regalado Cuenca, A. B. (2013). Sexting: Nuevos usos de la tecnología y la sexualidad en adolescentes. International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology.
- Sánchez Zaldívar, S., & Iruarrizaga Díez, I. (2009). Nuevas dimensiones, nuevas adicciones: la adicción al sexo en internet. Psychosocial Intervention, 18(3), 255-268.