Virtual reality porn and the future of loneliness • Hacker News Board

Re: Virtual reality porn and the future of loneliness

#21

Post by jimhefferon » Sun, Jul 12, 2015, 9:56 PM UTC

leoc wrote: post #10

> It’s not difficult to imagine a future where a cohort of the male population — especially those who have trouble connecting with members of their preferred sex — sits at home many nights with the Oculus Rift strapped to their heads, living out their sexual fantasies in VR, having their psychology further shaped and distorted by the persistent absence of connection with real life people. Regardless, the future of po…

I teach in a college. our challenges are four: pot, porn, poker, and playstation. This combines porn and playstation. I fear they will next find a way to bring in pot. That'll be a problem.

Re: Virtual reality porn and the future of loneliness

#22

Post by HOLYCOWBATMAN » Sun, Jul 12, 2015, 9:57 PM UTC

minthd wrote: post #9

dkopi wrote: post #2

The whole "porn = loneliness" equation is really getting old. People with sex lives watch porn. People in relationships watch porn. Females watch porn. Couples watch porn together. Couples make porn together. Masturbation is natural, normal and healthy, and it's about time we stop the false "watches porn = lonely loser" equation.

I don't know. It's like we're running a giant experiment on everybody, using powerful digital technologies , without even a safe process for estimating and controlling the risks and optimizing for positives. And we do this without even achieving a scientific consensus on regular pornography and it's impact - without even understanding the results of the previous technology, if any. Maybe we should understand that bef…

You can do that while i enjoy my virtual reality porn.

You should be more concerned about Dihydrogen monoxide than porn: http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

Re: Virtual reality porn and the future of loneliness

#23

Post by antirez » Sun, Jul 12, 2015, 10:00 PM UTC

minthd wrote: post #9

dkopi wrote: post #2

The whole "porn = loneliness" equation is really getting old. People with sex lives watch porn. People in relationships watch porn. Females watch porn. Couples watch porn together. Couples make porn together. Masturbation is natural, normal and healthy, and it's about time we stop the false "watches porn = lonely loser" equation.

I don't know. It's like we're running a giant experiment on everybody, using powerful digital technologies , without even a safe process for estimating and controlling the risks and optimizing for positives. And we do this without even achieving a scientific consensus on regular pornography and it's impact - without even understanding the results of the previous technology, if any. Maybe we should understand that bef…

Masturbation and internet porn are not directly related, like if "the first exists because the second exists". People masturbated since the start of humanity with different medias: imagination, porn magazines, remembering that other hot human being you saw yesterday, and so forth. So I don't think online porn is particularly changing the essence of it.

Re: Virtual reality porn and the future of loneliness

#24

Post by Taek » Sun, Jul 12, 2015, 10:05 PM UTC

Our culture (at least in America) is poorly equipped to deal with the sexual freedoms that technology is increasingly granting. Porn is definitely a problem and a source of loneliness for many, but just like video games, its not the technology itself that is the problem.

Re: Virtual reality porn and the future of loneliness

#25

Post by polarix » Sun, Jul 12, 2015, 10:07 PM UTC

Taek wrote: post #24

Our culture (at least in America) is poorly equipped to deal with the sexual freedoms that technology is increasingly granting. Porn is definitely a problem and a source of loneliness for many, but just like video games, its not the technology itself that is the problem.

I presume you don't intend to suggest that the freedom is the problem? I would propose we attempt to fix the stifling antisexuality of everyday social life, rather than the newfound capacity to meet bodily desires individually.

Re: Virtual reality porn and the future of loneliness

#26

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Jul 12, 2015, 10:08 PM UTC

rosser wrote: post #7

dkopi wrote: post #2

The whole "porn = loneliness" equation is really getting old. People with sex lives watch porn. People in relationships watch porn. Females watch porn. Couples watch porn together. Couples make porn together. Masturbation is natural, normal and healthy, and it's about time we stop the false "watches porn = lonely loser" equation.

You're forgetting the (admittedly, somewhat uncountable) number of people who are substituting porn and masturbation for sexual relationships with real, live human beings. Yes, people in relationships, with sex lives watch porn. Good for them. They aren't the ones we should be concerned about; they aren't the ones whose behavior is (or risks becoming) maladptive. I think you're drawing a false identity here — between…

[deleted]

Re: Virtual reality porn and the future of loneliness

#27

Post by rosser » Sun, Jul 12, 2015, 10:09 PM UTC

ams6110 wrote: post #19

rosser wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're forgetting the (admittedly, somewhat uncountable) number of people who are substituting porn and masturbation for sexual relationships with real, live human beings. Yes, people in relationships, with sex lives watch porn. Good for them. They aren't the ones we should be concerned about; they aren't the ones whose behavior is (or risks becoming) maladptive. I think you're drawing a false identity here — between…

As someone else asked above, who is "we?" And why is it any business of "ours" whether someone decides that relationships (in the romantic/sexual sense) with other people are something he/she wants?

My language was admittedly a bit sloppy, but I was talking specifically about people who are turning to porn to fill the need/want in their sexual life for a partner.

If that's what someone genuinely wants, and it's what makes them happy [1], then good for them.

[1] As opposed simply to being a means of getting off while avoiding the risk and vulnerability that human intimacy tends to require.

Even then, if that's the choice they're making, it's their life, I guess. I've just known a few people who did make that choice, and invariably, they felt wretched about it.

Re: Virtual reality porn and the future of loneliness

#28

Post by angersock » Sun, Jul 12, 2015, 10:10 PM UTC

monk_e_boy wrote: post #16

angersock wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quite right! Now if only we could accept as a society that sex is natural, normal, and healthy, and that it is a standard part of healthy functioning relationships. Porn wouldn't be half as popular, I believe, were creep-shaming and the entire romantic-industrial complex not so pervasive.

How about couples in a monogamous relationship - is that natural? (genuine question) Are we moving to a more fluid type of relationship - is VR sex closer to cheating? Sexual images that are illegal would still be illegal in VR?

Natural? It's certainly common. Kind of a red herring--I'm more thinking about the pattern I've seen nowadays (and this is certainly personal bias of one sort of another) where white-collar/tech workplaces are being elevated to some monastic asexual space (hah) where people have no concept of romantic interest (hah hah), and where outside of work the mere act of saying "Hey, you seem pretty cool, would you like to meet up for ?" results in frightened looks and scampering off to the warm and safe bosom of Facebook, Tinder, or online dating. Grumble. This doesn't excuse boorish behavior, mind you, but being sex-positive would be a nice norm.

Illegal sexual imagery in VR is a thing. So long as it is digitally created, I have no reason to think that it carries with it the intrinsic moral wrongness of whatever the equivalent analog act would have. That said, there's a clear counter argument that providing that sort of material normalizes the behavior.

What I think will be more interesting is looking at the IP claims to come out of VR and teledildonics...being sued by a former lover for, say, continuing to hold onto and operate recordings of their performance.

It's all rather entertaining.

Re: Virtual reality porn and the future of loneliness

#29

Post by anigbrowl » Sun, Jul 12, 2015, 10:11 PM UTC

jimhefferon wrote: post #21

leoc wrote: post #10

> It’s not difficult to imagine a future where a cohort of the male population — especially those who have trouble connecting with members of their preferred sex — sits at home many nights with the Oculus Rift strapped to their heads, living out their sexual fantasies in VR, having their psychology further shaped and distorted by the persistent absence of connection with real life people. Regardless, the future of po…

I teach in a college. our challenges are four: pot, porn, poker, and playstation. This combines porn and playstation. I fear they will next find a way to bring in pot. That'll be a problem.

Surely anyone who is wasting time on porn and/or Playstation is capable of smoking pot at the same time. I'm not sure why you think this would require some sort of tie-in at the production end.

Re: Virtual reality porn and the future of loneliness

#30

Post by minthd » Sun, Jul 12, 2015, 10:14 PM UTC

phn wrote: post #17

minthd wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know. It's like we're running a giant experiment on everybody, using powerful digital technologies , without even a safe process for estimating and controlling the risks and optimizing for positives. And we do this without even achieving a scientific consensus on regular pornography and it's impact - without even understanding the results of the previous technology, if any. Maybe we should understand that bef…

Life itself is a giant experiment for which no-one really knows the answer to. I am pretty much for being open and accepting of our own humanity (desires, flaws, quirks), without tabooing the fuck out of everything and trying to control what other individuals think and do with themselves. Education, information, critical thinking and a sharp change of culture into acceptance is what I think we need, not a "safe proce…

>> Education, information, critical thinking and a sharp change of culture into acceptance is what I think we need,

Just out of curiosity , would you apply similar rules to hard drugs ? Are the any limits to your approach , places where a slower process that tries to minimize risks, should be applied ?