Technology is evolving at an unprecedented rate, influencing almost every facet of society. Sure enough, the area of sexual wellness is one sector that isn't spared from the effects of new tools and platforms. Recent innovations could help us rethink the way we express intimacy, and it's crucial to consider how these innovations are changing relationships for the better.
Along with promises of better performance, the melding of technology and sexual wellness should provide more space to talk about the limitations of modern tools. Learning about such impacts, whether positive or negative, should help us better harness technology as a part of the future of intimacy. With that being said, let's take a look at a few ways technology is affecting sexual wellness through the following trends.
Enhanced Access to Information and Resources
For the most part, technology allows individuals to seek information on everything related to sexual wellness, from the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases to learning about the possible benefits and risks of using viagra among women. Such a level of awareness and digital literacy speaks volumes about how certain individuals are more likely to seek professional help. Sure enough, according to a study published on the National Library of Medicine website, individuals who access online information on sexual wellness are likely to report having an STI and request interventions.
Generative AI can further enhance these capabilities. With Google now allowing AI-generated answers to questions, individuals with concerns over sexual wellness are provided with readily available information that will influence their decisions when it comes to getting tested and treated. However, the only issue to be addressed along these lines concerns the tendency of AI platforms to hallucinate and provide inaccurate, if not unscientific, answers. There’s still plenty of space to develop more reliable AI systems, but until then, individuals should rely on credible websites and online platforms that are meticulously vetted.
Availability of Remote Care
It’s impossible to overlook how much telehealth and telemedicine platforms have revolutionized modern healthcare. People with legitimate concerns about their sexual needs and conditions can rely on telemedicine as a means to seek initial consultations discreetly, whether they involve asking questions about permanent girth enlargement or clitoral unhooding.
For the most part, remote care allows vulnerable individuals ready access to sexual healthcare services that are unavailable within their communities. Healthcare providers, on the other hand, can rely on telehealth platforms to deliver highly personalized treatment plans that include close monitoring of suspected STD symptoms as well as possible barriers to childbirth.
While remote care elevates patients' experiences by offering flexible services, reliance on telehealth is hounded by regulatory issues that hinder clinics and institutions from fully harnessing it. For the most part, providers are struggling with the risks attached to obtaining patient information through online means.
Privacy and security issues persist, and providers will have to make sure their telehealth programs are up-to-date in terms of their data security policies. Cybersecurity regulation is constantly evolving, so it’s important for institutions to elevate their security protocols and offer remote care services that are not only safe but also cater to a holistic, inclusive, and highly accessible approach towards improving sexual health.
Tech-Assisted Stimulation
Other than addressing common sexual diseases, new technology can also serve to enhance sexual experiences. The availability of remote sex toys allow couples to make love from a distance, simulating the same sensations they would normally experience in person.
The danger in using this technology as a sex aid lies in the claim that it diminishes the emotional part of intercourse. In an article for Psychology Today, Dr. Marianne Brandon says that overreliance on technology for sexual stimulation could cause partners to “depend less on each other.” This has been observed in the proliferation of pornography, first through VHS and, later, through the internet.
Apart from reducing intimacy, tech-assisted stimulation may encourage people to deviate from “common” sex acts. This might be a good thing as experimentation and exploration are encouraged, but the other side of it sheds light on the possibility that partners may resort to atypical sex acts, which are no less harmful.
The Emergence of Artificial Partners
Perhaps, the biggest technological trend to ever impact sexual wellness is the increasing popularity of artificial partners made possible by generative AI. This may seem harmless or even beneficial on the surface since it could provide a ready solution to individuals who may need to channel their sexual urges. However, relying on AI-assisted romance could be psychologically harmful.
While people who rely on AI partners do experience a form of intimacy, a report by PBS found that relying on AI for romance could induce psychosis. This causes individuals to disconnect from reality more and more as they seek a kind of companionship that’s more validating than it is authentic. It’s still important to consider the implications this may have on the future of sex, intimacy, and relationships.
Endnote
There’s still so much to talk about in how new technology is transforming sexual wellness. At the moment, the trends above suggest a larger avenue through which more innovations can emerge. All the same, love will always remain constant.
