It may be hard to see any silver-linings whilst we are still going through the lockdowns and isolation enforced by the pandemic but with a bit of distance, our future selves will be able to look back and see some significant and positive changes brought on by this dark time. Necessity, is after all, the mother of invention.
With many large businesses turning to remote working, the idea of everyone sharing an office space is going to be re-examined in the near future, and remote working and home-based staff are probably going to be part of the business model going forward. It not only saves on physical space but such an approach has also shown that those less able-bodied who maybe struggle with the physical environment of an office can be considered for jobs that might otherwise have been closed to them.
Games platforms and TV networks have also seen a massive surge as we remained locked in our private bubbles. And where there is increased demand for a product or service, innovation is never far behind. As TV services change from schedules to an on-demand service, as games move from traditional tabletop sessions to multi-player, on-line interactions, the world seems to have become both more and less connected. More plugged in perhaps, but less social.
One area where privacy is always tantamount is the world of adult entertainment. As the games industry pioneers VR head-sets for a more immersive experience, it will surely be the adult entertainment industry that embraces the idea of VR porn sites and takes them to their ultimate conclusion. The same technology which makes it seem that you are actually in combat with a band of Orcs or gives you the feeling of being behind the wheel of a car on the streets of a dystopian city is the same technology that will deliver more intimate pleasures.
And with the road to VR experiences already well-travelled, what next? Haptic suits which deliver the sensation of touch? Holographic images which bring a digital partner to your bedroom? This may seem the stuff of fantasy, in every sense of the word, but just look at how far we have come in recent times. In the last generation or two, we have developed e-mails and the internet, digital music techniques and social media, interactive gaming and remote working. So why not virtual lovers and digital companions.
There are elements of the adult entertainment industry that many find unpleasant and crude but in the same way that advancements and inventions in the space industry benefit all manner of far-flung areas of modern life, from mattresses to non-stick pans, what happens in adult entertainment might also have far-reaching social benefits. Everything from cures for loneliness via operating systems which act as a companion to physical robots which satisfy people’s baser urges before those urges spill out into the real world.
The future may be unwritten but one thing is certain, it isn’t that far away.
