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Home > Dating & Relationships > ‘Future Forecast’: Masturbation Will Replace Intercourse As Leading Source of Sexual Pleasure

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Home›Dating & Relationships›‘Future Forecast’: Masturbation Will Replace Intercourse As Leading Source of Sexual Pleasure

‘Future Forecast’: Masturbation Will Replace Intercourse As Leading Source of Sexual Pleasure

By M. Christian
October 9, 2021
1447
0

Innovations in sex toys for self-pleasuring may lead to the downfall of sex between people.

A screenshot of women lying down and colored in green and red color

Virtual reality adult entertainment; the widespread use of teledildonic devices; ultra-sophisticated algorithms powering dating apps and sites: a few short years ago, these and other recent sex tech innovations were utterly unheard of, or were delegated to a few “someday” speculations by forward-thinking scientists.

Another key area of advancement? Sex toys that can be used for self-pleasuring.

Hands-free vibrators for penises and clitorides, artificially intelligent sex bots, and more give individuals the freedom to find pleasure on their own however they choose.

A recent research paper suggests that these innovations are contributing to a rise in masturbation — a rise so meteoric that masturbation may one day largely replace sex between people.

The Ona Singularity

Screeshot of male hand stroking a banana to represent male handjob. Yellow background.

“Masturbation has expanded against the backdrop of technological innovation, and it has become safer and richer than sex between people.”

This is from a report by Future Forecast Co., Ltd.; a Japan-based company focused on anticipating the impact of pleasure devices on human society.

In The Ona Singularity, they put forth the idea that eventually, masturbation, which is considered shameful in many cultures, will become a universally preferred form of sexual pleasure.

According to Future Forecast, two factors are leading us in this direction.

The first is, translated from the report’s original Japanese, ”Sex between humans is still a heavy psychological and physical burden. Sex will be perceived as unstable and uncertain, just [volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous] (VUCA).”

The second factor is the safety and satisfaction that sex tech can offer as masturbation tools.

Sharing physical space is no longer necessary for pleasure

It’s hard to disagree with Future Forecast’s initial logic, especially in light of how the COVID pandemic and the accompanying surge in sex tech development has demonstrated that we don’t necessarily need to share physical space with a fellow human to experience the joy of sex.

However, The Ona Singularity seems to skate over the fact that a great deal of partner sex’s apparent VUCA-ism is also changing due to technological innovation. 

Multi-person sex tech is also developing rapidly

For example, we have the benefit of quicker-than-ever tests for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), artificially intelligent matchmaking software for optimized dating possibilities, access to sexual and mental health resources, support systems for about every kind of relationship — to mention only a few. 

So while a percentage of people may opt for masturbation (and I hope it’ll gain support as a valid form of sexual expression), the idea that it might entirely replace couple play is somewhat of a stretch.

Image source: PleasureBetter, Steve A Johnson

M. Christian

M.Christian (they/them) loves nothing better than exploring the intersections of sex and technology—and speculating on the future of both. A highly regarded erotica writer they have six novels,12 collections, 100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies as an editor to their name. Their non-fiction regularly appears in many sites, but they're most proud of being a regular contributor to Future of Sex.

Of their erotic fiction, Tristan Taormino said that “M.Christian is a literary stylist of the highest caliber: smart, funny, frightening, sexy—there's nothing [they] can't write about… and brilliantly.”

Reflecting their unique ability to sympathetically and convincingly write for a range of genders and sexual orientations, their stories have appeared in multiple editions of Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, The Mammoth Books of Erotica, and others. Their collection of gay erotic fiction, Dirty Words, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

While a majority of their stories have been collected into books like Dirty Words, their fondness for combining sex and science fiction is clearly evident in collections that include Rude Mechanicals, Technorotica, Better Than The Real Thing, Skin Effect Effect, Bachelor Machine, and Hard Drive: The Best Sci-Fi Erotica of M.Christian.

As a novelist, M.Christian’s versatility is on full display with Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Brushes, Painted Doll; and the somewhat controversial queer BDSM/horror/thrillers Finger's Breadth, and Me2.

M.Christian has worked on the industry’s production side as an Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books and as a Publisher for Digital Parchment Services. The latter dedicated to celebrating the works of science-fiction legends such as William Rotsler, Jerome Bixby, Jody Scott, Arthur Byron Cover, Ernest Hogan, and James Van Hise.

Covering topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, plus reviewing a variety of sex tech products, M.Christian’s non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert, Queer Majority, Sex for Every Body, and—of course—their ongoing work for Future of Sex.

If there’s anything M.Christian enjoys more than writing, it’s teaching. A featured presenter, sometimes with their friend Ralph Greco Jr, at national sex and BDSM events, they have lectured on kink play (with an emphasis on safety), polyamory, boosting sexual creativity, and erotica writing--for beginners or those wanting to go pro.

M.Christian is a cohost on two popular sex-education podcasts: Love’s Outer Limits with Dr. Amy Marsh and Licking Non-Vanilla with Ralph Greco, Jr.
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