Human-computer sexual interaction – whether using interactive stimulus-toys or engaging your `virtual self’ in fantasy romps with mythical creatures – is slowly gaining in popularity, but as the line between the real and virtual experience blurs, sex educators are faced with some tough ethical questions.
Emerging technologies offer individuals greater access to diverse sexual practices, says sex educator and online columnist Cory Silverberg, who spoke this past week at the annual Guelph Sexuality Conference in Guelph, Ont.
Those new technologies encompass everything from having cybersex on websites such as Second Life – where the user creates an avatar or `virtual self’ – to the more hands-on approach of experimenting with `teledildonics,’ the latest technological twist in virtual jollies.