In class today we had our first group presentation. The group's overall theme was about cybersex, which is a perfect topic considering cybersex was one of the main themes of our lecture on Monday. 

We learned that the definition of cybersex is "the exchange of synchronous sexually explicit messages," and that these messages are typically originally seen as strong flirting.  One thing that really stood out in our lecture was that cybersex is considered a form of adultery in the eyes of the court, and that there has been cases in which partners have sued their significant others for divorce due to emotional cheating. However on the other hand Phyllis Phlegar in 1995 argued that married people that partake in cybersex with someone else are not having real life affairs and hence are not short-changing their partners.  That cybersex is closer to reading a romance novel then having an affair. 

We also learned about the risks and benefits of the cybersex. Risks mainly revolved around getting addicted to it and damaging the relationship you have with your partner. Benefits however included how it could be an educational tool for teens and even a way of experimenting sexually. Benefits also included how it could help long distance relationships for obvious reasons.  

These and more are points that the group in Lab today touched on.  One student addressed the use of cybersex in multiplayer online video games.  He talked about how there are group forums where people can either join or be invited to join a group cybersex room with their own customized avatars. One thing that stood out to me was the discrimination that apparently happens in these types of games. According to him gay people are still looked down upon by the majority of people, and girls are heavily harassed even if the avatar is a "sexy cat."