"It’s a bleak new world that has such virtual girlfriends in it. "
Chatbots by major influencers like Amouranth and Caryn Marjorie let fans pay by the minute for virtual interactions – here, an expert on parasocial relationships walks us through the risks.
Dr David Giles, who specialises in media psychology at the University of Winchester [on parasocial relatioships]. “Typically these are between media figures and members of the audience. The media user knows the media figure intimately, but s/he doesn’t exist for them (other than as part of a homogeneous ‘audience’).”
To some extent, social media has complicated this definition, since audiences have more access to media figures, and can talk back to them by leaving Instagram comments or typing in a Twitch chat. “I’ve always argued that we should understand relationships as existing on a spectrum, in which ‘social’ and ‘parasocial’ are the endpoints,” Giles adds. “So a relationship can be ‘partly parasocial’ – like many with vloggers, influencers etc. Fully parasocial would be something like a relationship with a fictional figure (who has never existed) or a dead human (like Elvis).”
NHL begins domestic violence and sexual assault training After a series of high-profile incidents across sports, the NHL has joined other professional leagues in mandating domestic violence, sexual assault and sexual harassment training for all of its players
Slavoj ZiZek i Information (urspr. Le Monde diplomatique oktober 2014): Sjældent er den multikulturalistiske antiracismes fallit blevet så tydeligt udstillet som med afsløringen af den konsekvente fortielse af pakistanske pædofiles mangeårige overgreb på skolepiger i en midtengelsk provinsby
Expressens ledare 10.6.2012: " När hemmaporren blir vanlig tappar naken- heten i värde. Om det inte är stigmatiserat att filma partnern i sängen, eller hitta bilder av en lättklädd kollega slutar sexualiteten att vara ett maktmedel. Det är en utveckling vi borde främja. Sexualitet handlar om njutning och inte om makt. "
by Glenn Greenwald, guardian.co.uk, Comment is Free, Saturday 27 April. He draws attention to the sponsors of the Pride parade: Verizon, AT&T, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Clear Channel, and concludes: "So apparently, the very high-minded ethical standards of Lisa L Williams and the SF Pride Board apply only to young and powerless Army Privates who engage in an act of conscience against the US war machine, but instantly disappear for large corporations and banks that hand over cash. What we really see here is how the largest and most corrupt corporations own not just the government but also the culture." "Equating illegal behavior with ignominious behavior is the defining mentality of an authoritarian - and is particularly notable coming from what was once viewed as a bastion of liberal dissent."