Virtual sex as a means to reduce sexual assaults
Can virtual sex reduce instances of rape?
Human beings have an innate desire to have sex and this is a biological imperative for most species in general. Human beings unlike most species have the capability to remove the risk from sexual activities. Sexual activities are a high risk endeavors for all sides. The risk of being raped, the risk of contracting an STD, the risk of being falsely accused of rape, are just some examples of why sexual activity is so high risk. What is the wise thing to do?
Risk reduction strategies currently exist and these include "safe sex" in the form of birth control, condoms, and other STD prevention technologies. These also include celibacy and asexuality which probably deserve categories of their own as they entail lack of interest in sexual activities or an identity directed toward not having sexual relations.
Primarily safe sex focuses on the STD/STI aspects where the goal is to prevent infection by a sexually transmitted disease. The HIV scare in the 80s produced a hysteria which resulted in a change in sexual norms to the point where wearing a condom became the norm. Prior to this while there were some who decided that wearing a condom made sense there were others who determined that no sex before marriage (abstinence) was the solution.
What is the safest form of sex in 2018?
This is a question to be asked in light of #metoo and the highlighted risk of sexual assault. This question of what is the safest form of sex ultimately leads to the topic of virtual sex. Virtual sex may in fact be the safest form of sex possible by humans. In a virtual atmosphere rape and sexual assault become impossible because as long as both sides have the capability to shut off the experience they maintain the right to disconnect from any unpleasant and or undesired sexual experience. This in my opinion allows for greater levels of autonomy, control, and freedom to explore sexuality without the risk of sexual assault. This also removes the risk of STD/STI, the risk of unwanted pregnancy, and more.
Virtual sex workers and virtual sex
One of the main industries which will be impacted in my opinion by virtual reality is the sex work industry. The problem with the sex work industry is that as it currently is set up it is very difficult to determine if there is coercion taking place or if there is sex trafficking. The point being that the most dangerous forms of prostitution are the forms which involve a human being having direct physical sex with another human being. There is the risk that the sex worker could get murdered as there are serial killers who prey on sex workers and this is why sex workers have to carefully filter who they interact with on that level. There is also the risk of abuse, of sexual assault, of being arrested, that sex workers must always live with.
In a virtual environment these risks are gone. The sex worker need not deliver their real identity in order to provide their services to paying customers. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology actually take this a step further by allowing sex workers to get paid in pseudo-anonymous fashion (this is a use case for private transactions). Even the technology behind Steem could facilitate sex work in a far safer manner than there has ever been by utilizing rating systems for reputation, pseudo-anonymity, and VR. These technologies can both reduce harm and empower the disenfranchised.
Some questions for debate:
- Is virtual sex actually sex? A case can be made that it's not actually anything more than masturbation. Whether or not it is sex is something for discussion.
- Can AI participate in the sex trade and what will the impact of AI sex workers be?
- Will virtual sex become popular over time?
I don't have the answers to these questions yet but looking at the trend I would predict this is an industry which has a chance to grow. First, sex workers who are intellectually inclined will seek to earn as much money as possible from the sex trade while taking on the least amount of risk necessary. It is true that sex workers who are willing to go all the way and have physical sex may always make more money if they have the skill and talent for physical sex but this high pay will also likely come with increased risk. For the sex workers who don't want to take on the risks, or put their image on display, the virtual sex opportunity might be of the greatest reward for the least risk.
Conclusion
I'm currently in favor of virtual sex as a means of reducing the level of risk in sexual interactions. I do not know whether it will reduce sexual assaults because I do not know the exact cause of sexual assaults but it will in my opinion reduce the risk sex workers take on. It will also reduce the risk of STD/STI for all involved. It will reduce the risk for men who want casual encounters and it will reduce the risk for women who want casual encounters. The question of sexual assault is more complex because sexual predators may still choose to seek to harm others depending on what motivates their actions but this will in my opinion provide more options for people who do not want to harm others.
UPDATE:
VR or Virtual Sex as defined in my post does not include current unnecessarily high risk forms of digitized sexuality such as sexting. Sexting introduces risk because anything which attaches flesh and blood identity to the sexual interaction brings with it risks. The risk of being blackmailed in the case of sexting, or the risk of being stalked in the case where a person includes their real name and address. For these specific reasons virtual sex done safely need not include the personally identifiable information currently trendy on social media platforms like Facebook, or personally identifiable image information. Absent this information, the risks reduce dramatically and if we look at Second Life we can find examples (although crude) of virtual sex with almost zero risk. Examples 1 2. 3.
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I think it is a double-edged sword @dana-edwards because if it is not used in moderation it can provoke changes in the sleep pattern by staying up late practicing cybersex, having less and less relationships with the couple and seeing the virtual sex as unique source of gratification or constantly thinking about connecting to practice it.
It can also cause, in extreme cases, addiction. As in other addictions, at first sporadic and punctual use is made and as the time passes the person increases the frequency of use until it ends up losing control over the behavior.
On the other hand you can also be a victim of Cyberbullying. And this applies equally to both cybersex and sexting
For example, your camera may be vulnerable to hacker attacks. They can be recording or taking pictures to then blackmail you.
It is good that it is a valid option to practice safe sex, but if you do not have an education or a basic knowledge about the dangers of online sex you can have a hard time.
Isn't this kind of addiction safer than addiction to more risky forms of sex? I don't see how the same couldn't happen if a person is going to see prostitutes at midnight and risking STI.
Sexting also is unsafe and is not virtual in the sense I was discussing it. Any time the actual identity of a person is involved then risk increases. Blackmail can only happen if a person involves their flesh and blood in the interaction. In virtual sex none of this is necessary because an avatar can be created which theoretically with the right graphics card can look almost photo realistic. In addition, in VR with proper gear this can go far beyond the very limited experiences of trading images or text.
So by VR sex I'm talking the exact opposite of anything flesh and blood. In that case there is nothing for hackers to attack except maybe your pseudo anonymous avatar identity. There is nothing for anyone to blackmail you with because your avatar isn't a real person. There is nothing to stalk you with unless you give the person your personal information.
Proper safe virtual sex involves:
Done right what are the risks? In my estimation, lower than everything you mentioned. Lower than sex the old fashioned way. A pseudo anonymous avatar basically is a customizable physical appearance which Alice and Bob design for themselves for use in the virtual world. This virtual persona can look like however they want it to look, wear whatever they want it to wear, do whatever they want it to do.
I apologize then. I confused terms. And now it comes to mind a function that I used at some time Naughtyamerica.com that was to give users access to interactions with their pornstars.
Cool cool
It is very unlikely that virtual sex would reduce sexual assault. In fact, it is much more likely to have the exact opposite effect. It would feed the assaulter's appetite for the real thing. This is what happens with porn. There is no reason to think that virtual sex would be any different.
Why is that? Sexual assault doesn't appear to be about sex. It's an act of aggression. If it were about sex alone then I would think if there are more means of safer sex then there is less desire for unsafe sex.
But it's hard to say without there being a study conducted. I don't think "real thing" is something people care about all that much. In fact, virtual reality can be better than the real thing because you can live out impossible fantasies, or do stuff beyond the laws of physics. The kinds of experiences people could have in virtual reality could surpass the experiences they could have in real.
This is assuming they are rational, and do not want to hurt others. If they do want to hurt others then you could be right but then it's not about sex.
That's why I think virtual sex won't reduce assaults too much. People who needs to use violence against others won't satisfy this with virtual sex. imho
But I support the idea that virtual sex is ok, as long as no abuse is implied, any kind of sex that satisfies someone is ok for him/her.
Interesting concept, @dana-edwards, and I think (to an extent) you're correct. Short of the ascetic minority and/or religious temperament, the sexual impulse does not disappear, but can be sublimated.
I wonder though - with virtual sex, as with porn - if it will not in fact sharpen the instinct (perhaps, also pervert it) so that practitioners at some point of addiction/escalation decide to take it out to the real world.
Strange to say, but this is a subject of some interest to me, and I've explored it, previously, on Steemit and elsewhere (in journals, such as Truthout as well as my book of essays: Trial by Ink: From Nietzsche to Bellydancing
Couldn't you say the same thing about books, the imagination, wet dreams?
Also why make the assumption that people would prefer to act out in the real world? Some stuff people do specifically in virtual worlds because it's too dangerous or impossible to do in the real world. For example a person worried about risk might rather experience jumping out of airplanes in a virtual world to get their thrill rather than to do it in the real world.
There are limits in the real world as well. You simply cannot break the laws of physics, you cannot do certain things for legal reasons, or for social reasons, you cannot perhaps find someone willing to do it, and so on. So while you have a point that for someone who has no conscience and who wants to harm another person then virtual sex may not work but for a person who is just interested in sex I do not see why virtual sex would not eventually be better than anything real.
And that is the whole point, it could not only become better but so much better that people prefer it over real.
No, my friend, I could not say the same about books, their satisfaction is largely cerebral... just as your discussion is too theoretical, I find, such as concluding that virtual sex could be better so that people prefer it over the real.
There is no such thing as a 'person who is just interested in sex'... We are human, my friend, and emotions are tied up to all we do.
When we forget this and try to compartmentalize our physical, emotional and spiritual selves we do violence to our nature entire...
Better advice
Maybe the government wants to boost the population of potential tax payers or soldiers? Why take that perspective?
It is better when the government to supports boosting the population.
When the government promotes depopulation like in the West, regular people become the problem to be exterminated and sterilized.
Why do you think a government would want more people unless to prepare for conquest? What do you think more people will be used for? Is there a military? Is there a tax payer? Where do the tax dollars go toward?
So do you really want the west to have another baby boom? Plenty of soldiers and tax payers to fund the next world war.
You make a good argument but I think most people are good.
Government is dark but the world is becoming less centralized not more. I don't think more population automatically means more violence. There are many possibilities.
Great topic and I can't think of anything you might have missed. I was surprised that there are several websites that offer young girls to sell their virginity. In fact, one girl was paid 2.5 million euros to have sex in a controlled environment (at least it appeared that way to me) Can you imagine being asked how you made your wealth :) I see nothing wrong with this.
Hmmm... there could definitely be some serious opportunity in the digital pimpin’ business... lol :-)