SexTech 2018 - 2018 Sexuality and Technology

Sexuality and Technology
An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference
Saturday 1st December 2018 – Sunday 2nd December 2018
Vienna, Austria
It has become evident that Technology is affecting our Sexuality. From how we form, maintain, and end relationships to how we seek and have sex, technology has a pervasive impact on every facet of our sexuality. As such, the lexicon of dating has evolved to include terms like swiping left, swiping right, ghosting, breadcrumbing, catfishing, and hatfishing among many others. Advances in sex toys include smart toys, wearables, artificially intelligent toys, remote controls, virtual reality (VR) pornography, customization with 3-D printing, toys with built in cameras, and advances in sex dolls as some examples.
This conference sets out to investigate the ways in which technology is changing sexuality, as it revolutionizes the ways in which we seek and select partners, shapes the types of encounters we engage in, and re-writes our scripts for erotic action. Spike Jonze’s 2013 film Her pasks an important question in its examination of the unlikely relationship between Theodore and Samantha, the virtual assistant of his operating system. Samantha asks in the film: “Like are these feelings even real? Or are they just programming?”
Our first interdisciplinary Sexuality and Technology conference seeks to create a lasting network of professionals, practitioners and researchers in all fields related to this topic; to isolate, discuss, and explore the main issues, pressing matters, and recent developments in this field of activity; to identify areas to be subsequently explored in further depth; and to generate collaborative action that will lead to real, lasting change in the way sex and tech is perceived and approached globally. We welcome any relevant and insightful kinds of contribution from classic presentations to proposals for workshops; topics for debates, panels or round tables; brainstorming sessions for creating policy materials or research instruments; sharing of event-appropriate professional or personal experience or new apps, tools, toys, or technologies; or meaningful forms of artistic expression (film, poetry, photography exhibitions etc.)
Some of our suggested main issues to be approached include (but are not limited to):
Connection – Is the sex we are engaging in thanks to technology fundamentally different or is technology simply facilitating access to sex and relationships? Are we having more sex, better or worse sex thanks to technology? How is it creating and fostering relationships? What impact are advances in virtual reality creating? How will continued advances in technology impact our relationships?
Disconnection – What negative effects has technology had on our romantic relationships; The unplugging by plugging in phenomenon; The “alone together” phenomenon; Technology fails and its impact on relationships
Diversity, Inclusion, Exclusion – How has technology helped with diversity and inclusion? How has it amplified exclusion?
Managing Risk – Fake profiles, bad dates, the dangers of “proximity dating”; Revenge pornography; Safeguarding sexual history and anonymity on line; Risk management tactics; ‘Catfishing’; Stalking; Creating false meaning; Trolling
Online Dating – Historical perspectives of dating in comparison to online dating; Advances in dating apps; Censorship in dating apps; Ghosting; Face to face (FtF) vs virtual communication; Intimacy enhancers or detractors?
Online Pornography – Changes in the pornography field due to technology; Advances; Ease of accessibility; Risks; Online sexual compulsivity; Financial Dangers; Desensitization to FtF relationships
Sexual Wellness and Health – Sex education and mobile apps; STI management Apps: The advantages and disadvantages of posting STI status on line
Sex Work and Technology: Is on-line sexual commerce booming? What impact does technology have on sex work? What policies are needed? What policies are hurting?
Sexuality and Affect – How did that hookup really feel? Empowerment/disempowerment narratives; Ghosting and its impact; Virtual versus FtF relationships; Intimacy and vulnerability; Avatars and multiple personas
Sexuality, Technology, and Education – How is technology influencing the way we learn about sex in schools, higher education, or in general? Online pornography as sex education.
Sexuality, Technology, and Gender – What are the gender and identity issues due to the rise of technology?
Sexuality, Technology, and Geography – What cultures seem more willing to experiment? What is it about these cultures which allows this to happen?
Sexuality, Technology, and Robots – What advances are being made? How will robots or similar technologies impact our relationships? Advances or problems in developing new apps, tools, toys, or technologies?
Sexuality, Technology, and The Generations – How does technology impact the young versus the old differently?
Social Media and Sexuality – What impact does social media have on how sexuality is perceived and viewed?
Technology and Sexual Violence: New media’s role in the normalization or prevention of sexual and gendered violence: New forms of sexual and gendered violence via new media and technology; Survivors and media exposure/coverage; Media propaganda upholding state violence
Teens, Technology, and Sexuality – Sexting; The criminal distribution of the naked selfie as child pornography; Codes and neologisms (“Netflix and chill”)