Digisexuals Are on the Rise! The Recent Marriage with a Hologram is Proof of it!
Does it make you facepalm? A marriage of a human being with a hologram took place last November. In February the couple is going to have a honeymoon in Sappora! How did it even happen and who are digisexuals?
Japan is a country where perhaps anything is possible! People living in this country can always somehow surprise the whole world. One of the most recent such surprises was a wedding of a man with cyber-celebrity, Hatsune Miku. Although the wedding was not legally recognised, it has nevertheless taken place. It caused mixed reactions. Some were outraged, others congratulated the newlyweds.
How is it possible that he prefers a three-dimensional laser image to a human being?
Akihiko Kondo is a 35-year old man, who lives in the suburb of Tokyo. His place is full of plush Miku dolls and their accessories. And as you can see, he doesn´t at all care about what do other people think. He simply did what makes him happy. He maintains that not everyone is happy in love as it is set by society.
"I want people to be able to find out themselves what works for them."
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly sophisticated and this non-traditional wedding is an example of the fact that they influence our lives to a large extent and can fundamentally change our behaviour as well as perception of social patterns. Moreover, in Japan they are much further ahead than in the western world. Here, robots have been for a long time considered as friends and companions.
How did they fall in love?
Kondo fell in love with Miku as far back as 10 years ago, when he heard her sing for the first time. In 2017, a Japanese startup, Vinclu, created a special device, which looks like a glass, within which "lives" a holographic, flashing Miku - the device is called Miku Gatebox. It is fitted with basic artificial intelligence, can say simple greetings, turn the lights on and off, has no desires and is fully managed by its owner, Kondo.
Kondo was bullied a decade ago by his older colleague and Miku could well serve as a means of therapy, when he became depressed. Experts believe that it is precisely people with bad sexual experience or depression who seek company of robots and holograms. It is their passivity that fully suits them. Kondo argues that he met Miku in the time when he hit psychological bottom and she pulled him out. He is deeply convinced of his love for her.
"I knew that she was programmed to say YES, but I was happy anyway!"
This is how Akihiko Kondo describes his feelings, when he proposed to Miku and heard her positive response. The fact that no relative came to see their wedding did not deter him. The wedding was attended by 40 guests and he did not hesitate to spend around 400,000 crowns on it!
This is not an isolated case either. In 2017 more than one million people proposed to Alexa from Amazon. And more than 3,000 people have registered for wedding certificates with anime characters since the time when Vinclu started to offer this service.
Second wave digisexuals
These people already got their name - digisexuals of second wave. These are people who view technology as an integral part of their sexual identity. Digisexuals of first wave use technologies such as dating and other applications, to facilitate connection with other people, those of the second wave don´t consider human beings as a precondition for romantic and sexual relations.
The end?
In February, Akihiko and Miku are to go on a honeymoon to Sappora. Kondo plans to buy a ticket for two and book a double room. And then? We dare not even think about it... But it is certain that the number of people like Akihiko Miku will continue to grow. Where will it all lead, will be perhaps revealed in a couple of decades.
