Male homosocial bonds and perceptions of human–robot relationships in an online sex doll forum

Abstract

Debates about human–machine relationships have intensified following the launch of the world’s first commercially available sex robot ‘Harmony’, a hyperrealistic sex doll with AI-capabilities. With the likely consumer market for these devices among white, male, heterosexual sex-doll owners, their views about sex robot technology and the niche online communities in which they discuss their doll relationships have received little scholarly attention. Through a qualitative analysis of the discursive practices of male users of a major sex doll forum, this study found complex and dynamic homosocial relations characterized men’s online interactions. In their discussion of a sex robot future, men negotiate competing structures of masculinity and sexuality and create a safe, online space for others to express their sexual desires and preferences. Using the concept of the ‘seam’ or join, the results reveal the way male users of sex dolls position themselves subjectively and are positioned by technology and the increasingly porous interface between human and machine.

Human–Robot Companionship: Cultural Ideas, Limitations, and Aspirations. An Analysis of Sex Robot Marketing Videos

“…Sex robot histories, myths, and legends date back to Greek mythology [11], contextualising human-robot companionship in a history. Scholars have also examined human-robot companionship impacts from various social, ethical, psychological, and philosophical perspectives, voicing both concerns and risks [12]and potential benefits [12][13][14]. User studies have recognised the homosocial bonds formed through online communities built around sex robots [14], defined sex robot owners' typical profiles and ideas of intimacy [15], and their views about sex robot technology [16].…”

“…Scholars have also examined human-robot companionship impacts from various social, ethical, psychological, and philosophical perspectives, voicing both concerns and risks [12]and potential benefits [12][13][14]. User studies have recognised the homosocial bonds formed through online communities built around sex robots [14], defined sex robot owners' typical profiles and ideas of intimacy [15], and their views about sex robot technology [16]. Beyond their owners' opinions, studies focus on the limitations of representation of female sex robots [17], perceptions of sex robot attractiveness, and the advantages and disadvantages of their use [18,19].…”

“…This has been explored in areas of human-technology interaction beyond robots [40,43] and human-robot connections [41,42]. Middleweek [14] has also recognised the utility of semefulness in understanding human-sex robot relationships by users.…”

The Silicone Self: Examining Sexual Selfhood and Stigma within the Love and Sex Doll Community

“…Scholars have conducted small‐scale surveys of doll owners by sampling from websites where doll owners congregate (Ferguson 2010; Langcaster‐James and Bentley 2018). And, using similar websites, other scholars have scraped post and comment data for content analysis (Middleweek 2021; Su et al 2019). Both survey research and content analysis suggest that most doll owners are heterosexual men (Langcaster‐James and Bentley 2018; Middleweek 2021; Su et al 2019).…”

Human–Robot Interaction and Sexbots: A Systematic Literature Review

“…The relationships between human beings (males in this case) and their sex robots also can be very complex, as an analysis in a sex forum demonstrated [21]. The most cited reason was "doll maintenance" for interaction among peers.…”