Since I’ve been asked to focus the Sex Drive column more on big picture sex-tech and less on personal sex-tech, it has really hit me just how much of the sex-tech news is about fear — and about the same old things. Mainly child molesters and pornography, neither of which count as “sex” as far as I’m concerned.
Wired is excited that Kevin Poulsen’s investigation into sex offenders on MySpace has spurred a closer look from several state attorneys general. But Kevin points out “it’s not yet illegal for a former sex offender to be on MySpace,” and notes that only one out of the 744 sex offenders he found on MySpace was actually trolling for youth.
Melissa Gira links us to the Just The Facts About Online Youth Victimization panel at last week’s Internet Caucus in which four experts share a dose of sanity about what’s really happening — and not happening — to youth online (video, PDF).
In other words, no need for hysteria. Common sense and attention, yes. But panic? No.
Hopefully I can keep adding a sensible perspective to the mix — and I won’t forget my towel.
3 responses so far ↓
1 keith.bernard // May 15, 2007 at 1:31 pm
I always find your column interesting and informative whether you are focusing on the personal or the public. Information is never bad, and I hope that Sex Drive and/or Wired keeps its eyes on the totality of human sexuality, not just the big picture.
2 regina lynn // May 15, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Thank you! Yes, Wired is definitely trying to keep its eyes on the totality of human sexuality … just one more step in our plans to take over the world. BWHAHAHAHA.
3 LarrySDonald // May 15, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Frankly, personal sex tech is to me what is interesting. I just recently got around to getting here from the sexdrive links (surprise) but to me the personal columns is the draw. Porn? Perhaps, I’m a fan, but it’s covered good and well. Victimization online? Well, we’ve all read the numbers I’m sure and I was hunting pedos for sport 15 years ago before that got almost as dangerous as being one. Porn I consider sex to a degree (but overcovered as it is) and online victimization is not sex at all, or at least only in the minds of a select few I wish not to deal with if possible. This is disturbing, perhaps reflecting a shift in the Wired readers (or at least perception of the readers). There used to be a feel of “we’re all geeks here” – there is no need to reiterate the minor stuff because we know it. This is the power of sex drive, most sex-tech sites will tell you mostly things that would be amazingly helpful to the average slack-jaw who never dialed a bbs at 10, but which is just a clear sign to hit PgDn for those that did.
Don’t get me wrong, wired is pretty sweet, but this is starting to look like no 1 in the special olympics and lets face it, that’s just not going to cut bait online. I hope they change their mind, plenty of personal, hands on tech eval and personal interaction info has been vastly useful to me as someone with another job to do and can’t keep a 24/7 thumb on this stuff.