{"id":241588,"date":"2021-05-04T09:51:53","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T06:51:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/tech-is-changing-the-way-we-interact-and-not-always-for-the-better\/"},"modified":"2021-05-04T09:51:53","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T06:51:53","slug":"tech-is-changing-the-way-we-interact-and-not-always-for-the-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tech-is-changing-the-way-we-interact-and-not-always-for-the-better\/","title":{"rendered":"#tech is changing the way we interact, and not always for the better"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aee0605021cc\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aee0605021cc\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tech-is-changing-the-way-we-interact-and-not-always-for-the-better\/#Three_types_of_artificial_intimacy\" >Three types of artificial intimacy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tech-is-changing-the-way-we-interact-and-not-always-for-the-better\/#Grooming_our_friends\" >Grooming our friends<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tech-is-changing-the-way-we-interact-and-not-always-for-the-better\/#Intimacy-building\" >Intimacy-building<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tech-is-changing-the-way-we-interact-and-not-always-for-the-better\/#Amplifying_sexual_inequality\" >Amplifying sexual inequality<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tech-is-changing-the-way-we-interact-and-not-always-for-the-better\/#Good_enough\" >Good enough?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#tech is changing the way we interact, and not always for the better<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>Twenty-first century technologies such as robots, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are creeping into every corner of our <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> and emotional lives \u2014 hacking how we form friendships, build intimacy, fall in love and get off.<\/p>\n<p>In my <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.robbrooks.net\/rob-brooks\/3014\">recently-published book<\/a>, I consider the possibilities, both terrifying and inspiring, offered by these \u201cartificially intimate\u201d technologies.<\/p>\n<p>On one hand, these tools can help deliver much-needed support. On the other, they risk increasing sexual inequality, and replacing precious in-person interaction with less-than-ideal substitutes.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Three_types_of_artificial_intimacy\"><\/span>Three types of artificial intimacy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>At first mention of artificial intimacy, many people\u2019s minds may jump straight to sex robots: lifelike robotic sex dolls that could one day walk among us, hard to distinguish from living, breathing, orgasming humans.<\/p>\n<p>But despite the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomsbury.com\/us\/turned-on-9781472950871\/#:%7E:text=About%20Turned%20On&amp;text=Turned%20On%20explores%20how%20the,society%20in%20which%20we%20live.&amp;text=Computer%20scientist%20and%20sex%2Drobot,how%20this%20technology%20is%20developing.\">many important questions<\/a> sex robots raise, they mostly distract from the main <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>. They are \u201cdigital lovers\u201d which \u2014 alongside VR porn, AI-enhanced sex toys and cybersex enhanced with haptic and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/teledildonics.co\/best-teledildonics\">teledildonic<\/a> devices \u2014 constitute just one of three types of artificial intimacy.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Read more:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/in-defence-of-sex-machines-why-trying-to-ban-sex-robots-is-wrong-47641\">In defense of sex machines: why trying to ban sex robots is wrong<\/a><br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>The second category, the \u201calgorithmic matchmakers\u201d, match us with dates and hookups through <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications such as Tinder and Grindr, or with friends through social media platforms.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, we have \u201cvirtual friends\u201d including <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/mental-health\/chatbots-reviews\">therapist apps<\/a>, AI-enhanced <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/halo.fandom.com\/wiki\/Cortana\">game characters<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/triplej\/programs\/hack\/the-future-of-dating-ai-chatbots\/13295582\">boyfriend\/girlfriend chatbots<\/a>. But by far the most ubiquitous are AI assistants such as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com.au\/Learn-What-Alexa-Can-Do\/b?ie=UTF8&amp;node=5425622051\">Amazon\u2019s Alexa<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/assistant.google.com\/\">Google\u2019s Assistant<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dueros.baidu.com\/en\/index.html\">Baidu\u2019s DuerOS<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Virtual friends apply several kinds of AI, including <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zdnet.com\/article\/what-is-machine-learning-everything-you-need-to-know\/\">machine learning<\/a>, by which computers learn new ways to identify patterns in data.<\/p>\n<p>Machine-learning algorithms are becoming increasingly advanced at sifting through huge amounts of users\u2019 data, and tapping into the unique traits that make us the cooperative, cultural and romantic beings we are. I call these \u201chuman algorithms\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Grooming_our_friends\"><\/span>Grooming our friends<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Primates, from monkeys to great apes, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/BF02557701.pdf\">groom one another<\/a> to build important alliances. Humans mostly do this through <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hup.harvard.edu\/catalog.php?isbn=9780674363366\">gossip<\/a>, the old-school <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> radio which informs us about the people and events around us. Gossip is an algorithmic process by which we come to know our social worlds.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396674\/original\/file-20210423-15-1ba3dcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396674\/original\/file-20210423-15-1ba3dcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=409&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396674\/original\/file-20210423-15-1ba3dcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=409&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396674\/original\/file-20210423-15-1ba3dcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=409&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396674\/original\/file-20210423-15-1ba3dcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=514&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396674\/original\/file-20210423-15-1ba3dcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=514&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396674\/original\/file-20210423-15-1ba3dcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=514&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Japanese Macaques grooming in the hotsprings of Nagano. Apes and monkey spend about 20% of their waking hours grooming one another.<\/span><br \/><span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">Takashi Muramatsu\/Flickr<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Social platforms such as Facebook tap into our friend-grooming impulses. They aggregate our friends, past and present, and make it easy to share gossip. Their algorithmic matchmaking excels at identifying other users we may know. This lets us accumulate far more than the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/definition\/dunbars-number\/\">150 or so friends<\/a> we\u2019d normally have offline.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Read more:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/factcheck-qanda-do-we-only-have-space-for-about-150-people-in-our-lives-50195\">FactCheck Q&amp;A: do we only have space for about 150 people in our lives?<\/a><br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Social media companies know we\u2019ll use their platforms more if they funnel us content from the people we\u2019re closest to. Thus, they spend a lot of time and money trying to find ways to distinguish our close friends from the somebodies that we used to know.<\/p>\n<p>When social media (and other virtual friends) hack into our friend-grooming algorithms, they displace our offline friendships. After all, time spent online is time not spent in person with friends or family.<\/p>\n<p>Before smartphones, humans spent <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1037\/1089-2680.8.2.100\">about 192 minutes<\/a> a day gossiping and \u201cgrooming\u201d one another. But the average social media user today spends <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.broadbandsearch.net\/blog\/average-daily-time-on-social-media\">153 minutes each day<\/a> on social media, cutting into offline relationships and the time they\u2019d otherwise spend doing non-social work such as play and especially <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/health-50140111\">sleep<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The effects of this on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jeantwenge.com\/igen-book-by-dr-jean-twenge\/\">mental health<\/a> may be profound, especially for teens and young adults.<\/p>\n<p>And social media will only continue to evolve, as machine-learning algorithms find ever more compelling ways to engage us. Eventually, they may transition from digital matchmakers into virtual friends that type, post and speak to us like human friends.<\/p>\n<p>While this could provide some connection for the chronically lonely, it would also further occupy users\u2019 limited time and precious cognitive capacity.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Read more:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/loneliness-is-a-social-cancer-every-bit-as-alarming-as-cancer-itself-126741\">Loneliness is a social cancer, every bit as alarming as cancer itself<\/a><br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Intimacy-building\"><\/span>Intimacy-building<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Intimacy involves incorporating our sense of another person <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/psycnet.apa.org\/record\/1991-18305-001\">into our sense of self<\/a>. Psychologists Arthur and Elaine Aron showed intimacy can be <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0146167297234003?hc_location=ufi\">rapidly cultivated<\/a> through a process of escalating self-disclosure.<\/p>\n<p>They tasked randomly assigned pairs of people with asking and answering a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of 36 questions. The questions began innocuously (<em>Who is your ideal dinner guest?<\/em>) and escalate to very private disclosures (<em>If you were to die this evening, with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven\u2019t you told them yet?<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>The pairs assigned to disclose more personal information grew much closer than those given only small-talk questions, and remained so for many weeks. One couple famously married and invited the Arons to their <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/01\/11\/style\/modern-love-to-fall-in-love-with-anyone-do-this.html\">wedding<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We now have apps that help humans build intimacy <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/36-questions-to-fall-in-love-with-anyone\/id961960090\">via the Arons\u2019 36-question algorithm<\/a>. But what about human-machine intimacy? People disclose all sorts of details to computers. Research shows the more they disclose, the more they <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/229068013_Machines_and_Mindlessness_Social_Responses_to_Computers\">trust<\/a> the information returned by the computer.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, they rate computers as more likeable and trustworthy when they\u2019re programmed to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jcr\/article\/26\/4\/323\/1803936?login=true\">disclose vulnerabilities<\/a>, such as \u201c<em>I\u2019m running a bit slow today as a few of my scripts need debugging<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Virtual friends wouldn\u2019t have to study the Arons\u2019 questions to learn secrets about human intimacy. With machine-learning capabilities, they would only need to comb through online conversations to find the best questions to ask.<\/p>\n<p>As such, humans may become increasingly \u201cintimate\u201d with machines by incorporating their virtual friends into their sense of self.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \">\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396678\/original\/file-20210423-17-qr7pk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" alt=\"Couple together on smartphones\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" class=\"lazyreplaced\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396678\/original\/file-20210423-17-qr7pk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396678\/original\/file-20210423-17-qr7pk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396678\/original\/file-20210423-17-qr7pk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396678\/original\/file-20210423-17-qr7pk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396678\/original\/file-20210423-17-qr7pk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/396678\/original\/file-20210423-17-qr7pk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\"\/><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Finsights%2F2021%2F05%2F04%2Fsex-bots-virtual-friends-vr-lovers-tech-is-changing-the-way-we-interact-and-not-always-for-the-better-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: Machines are now part of human-human intimacy. Image via Afif Kusuma\/Unsplash\" data-title=\"Share Machines are now part of human-human intimacy. Image via Afif Kusuma\/Unsplash on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share Machines are now part of human-human intimacy. Image via Afif Kusuma\/Unsplash on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>Machines are now part of human-human intimacy. Image via Afif Kusuma\/Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Amplifying_sexual_inequality\"><\/span>Amplifying sexual inequality<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Matchmaker algorithms are already transforming how people screen and meet potential dates.<\/p>\n<p>Apps such as Tinder aren\u2019t really effective at matching compatible couples. Instead, they present photographs and minimalist profiles, inviting users to swipe left or right. Their algorithms allow people of more-or-less comparable attractiveness to match and strike up a conversation.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Read more:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/love-in-the-time-of-algorithms-would-you-let-artificial-intelligence-choose-your-partner-152817\">Love in the time of algorithms: would you let artificial intelligence choose your partner?<\/a><br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>One problem with this model is attractive people have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/fact-of-the-day-1\/inequality-of-dating-app-likes-e8c0aaa0cf4e\">no shortage<\/a><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/qz.com\/1051462\/these-statistics-show-why-its-so-hard-to-be-an-average-man-on-dating-apps\/\">of matches<\/a>, but this is at the expense of ordinary-lookers. This type of attraction-based inequality feeds serious problems \u2014 from heightened <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/115\/35\/8722.short\">self-sexualisation<\/a> among women, to a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.unsw.edu.au\/news\/science\/chinas-biggest-problem-too-many-men\">surplus of young, unpartnered men<\/a> prone to violence.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Good_enough\"><\/span>Good enough?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Then again, artificial intimacy also offers solutions. Although people deserve the company of other people, and the best care other (real) humans can offer, many demonstrably can\u2019t access or afford this.<\/p>\n<p>Virtual friends provide connection for the lonely; digital lovers are damming the raging torrent of sexual frustration. A gradual union of the two could eventually provide targeted intimacy and sexual stimulation for people of all genders and sexualities.<\/p>\n<p>People already talk to Siri and Alexa to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sundaypost.com\/fp\/say-hello-to-my-little-friend-scientists-find-smart-speakers-are-being-used-for-companyresearchers-on-how-alexa-and-pals-are-being-bought-by-the-lonely-if-no-ones-in-i-talk-to-alexa-all\/\">feel less lonely<\/a>. Meanwhile, in a climate of unmet demand for mental health support, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/voiceui\/mental-health-bots-are-we-at-the-breaking-point-efab1c2b6e93\">therapy bots<\/a> are listening to patients, advising them and even walking them through psychological treatments such as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chatcompose.com\/therapists.html\">cognitive behavior therapy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The quality of such connection and stimulation might not be a complete substitute for the \u201creal thing\u201d. But for those of us who find the real thing elusive or insufficient, it could prove far better than nothing.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Read more:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/my-robot-valentine-could-you-fall-in-love-with-a-robot-53564\">My robot Valentine: could you fall in love with a robot?<\/a><\/em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/159427\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"lazyreplaced\" srcset=\"\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>This article by\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/rob-brooks-1343\">Rob Brooks<\/a>, Scientia Professor of Evolutionary Ecology; Academic Lead of UNSW\u2019s Grand Challenges Program, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/unsw-1414\">UNSW<\/a>,\u00a0is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/sex-bots-virtual-friends-vr-lovers-tech-is-changing-the-way-we-interact-and-not-always-for-the-better-159427\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/sex-bots-virtual-friends-vr-lovers-tech-is-changing-the-way-we-interact-and-not-always-for-the-better-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#tech is changing the way we interact, and not always for the better&#8221; Twenty-first century technologies such as robots, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are creeping into every corner of our social and emotional lives \u2014 hacking how we form friendships, build intimacy, fall in love and get off. In my recently-published book,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":241589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/05\/cyberlove-hed.jpg&signature=d1b777ff7bcaf30b6ffa59e1cadbeaf5","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-241588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}