In my eyes part of the problem is not just the technology, but the mass media and our warped view of what is attractive and our options.
We are so much fussier than it is natural to be. And women are more likely to settle for an average looking man than a man is to a woman. The reason for this I believe is because women are even more emphasised on the importance of physical appearances. We are all becoming more and more fussy because
- ONE: we believe there are way more fantastic looking people than there actually are
- TWO: we are able to connect to way way way more people than we were in the past
In the past if you met a nice girl at a dance you would have to walk her all the way home if you hope to ever see her again! And then you would have to hang around outside now and then when you expect she has to go somewhere. You couldn't just forget about her and move on to the next one like we do now. Now we find the first flaw in a potential partner and we swipe next hoping to find perfection. We have too many options because of technology. The only thing your great post left out. ;)
I agree that mass media has warped our view of what is attractive. The first 3 pictures in the post look almost real but they are in fact dolls. Sometimes when I see magazine covers I feel the same way. The girls are airbrushed and photoshopped and it doesn't even look real to me. But on the flip side when you see this stuff so much what if a females teeth aren't perfectly straight or what if her leg has a scar on it from a bicycle wreck? Suddenly people don't put up with the small things like you say.
I agree with you on people having a lot of options and not putting up with little issues but the post is more about the people who won't explore the options and focus on just virtual sex or sex with dolls.
Yes I realise that. I'm just saying, we're already halfway there. This is just another step in the direction we've been going for a while now.
The thing about body dysmorphia in your other comment - your bang on about that but that already exists. We are already surrounded by unattainable standards of beauty and a constant reinforcement of this beauty being the most important thing a woman can be.
These problems are man and womans problem because both of us are becoming more and more disconnected. And the scary future you describe is one I would not be skeptical about because we have already come this far.
Yeah we are almost there pretty much. :-(