The Immediacy of Intimacy
The ability to feel sensations of sexual pleasure has always been accessible to people. The increase in the rate and ways in which this information is obtained has changed slightly over time. In his writings, "Avatar Erotics," Jack Bratich states, "Now, in an age of convergence culture, porn chic has gone mainstream, and reinvested those mundane scenes with the actualization of fantasies... Filmed VIP rooms, sexting: these all embed the images themselves into everyday behavior." Bratich's statement allows the reader to see the ways in which intimate acts such as porn have become even more personal and relative. The fantasies that were once embedded in the idea of porn has now become obtainable through the various ways in which the act is projected in today's digital world.
Due to the new digital age, outlets of pleasure are more accessible than ever before. Bratich also discusses the ability of Facebook post to satisfy on-lookers and pleasure seekers. Although one's intentions may not be to satisfy the needs of another, through post that show skin or hint to anything derogative, people who are your friends may have the chance to fulfill their needs. This leads to alarms because you may never know that your post was viewed this way or that someone committed such an act while viewing your post but as Bratich states, "Faith in intentions allows everyone to sleep easier at night - for the self-objectified posers, a rest-inducing forgetfulness; for the masturbating subject, a peaceful post-and-jerk slumber."
The web not only allows opportunities for viewers to fulfill needs of pleasure but they allow for viewers to fulfill emotional needs. In his writing, "Dating On The Net: Teens and the Rise of "Pure" Relationships," author Clark discusses the luxury of Cyberdating and its potential to limit emotional pain in relationships. In this piece one teen states, "Im not too popular with the guys... Net relationships hold less potential for the pain of rejection." This idea is one that is shared by many people on the web. Cyberdating is something that many people have immediate access to due to sites such as "blackpeoplemeet.com" and even "Facebook.com." This is just another way in which people have the ability to fulfill their needs whether it be physical or emotional.