Dr Mary Aiken is not convinced by online dating. She thinks that while it’s getting us hook-ups today, it might have the opposite effect in the future.
Aiken is a cyberpsychologist, which means she explores the impact of technology on human behaviour, from cyber-stalking to organised cyber-crime to finding love.
She explains her theory to me: “The species is not going to end tomorrow. But if we get comfortable not having face-to-face relationships, over time it may reduce our inclination to engage with the real world. We’re moving from a process of natural selection to cyber-selection. I’m pessimistic about allowing artificial intelligence into the equation when it comes to selecting a mate.”
In Aiken’s new book, The Cyber Effect, she cites Japanese studies: 40 per cent of Japanese people in their thirties are single and not actively looking for a relationship, while one in four Japanese men in their thirties are virgins. If that trend continues, Japan’s population will have shrunk by more than 30 per cent by 2060.
Aiken defines the “cyber effect” as how human behaviour becomes “amplified and escalated” when they interact with technology. This could mean people being more altruistic and donating more money to charity, or it could mean trolling...(cont)
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