Exploring Posthuman Sexuality and Materialist Perspectives on Technology

Dive into the realm of posthuman sexuality and materialist perspectives on technology through topics such as the Viagra assemblage, new materialist ontology, lively matter, and the transparency of technology. Discover how technology influences and shapes sexual identities beyond conventional stereotypes, emphasizing the material capacities and micropolitics of technologies in specific contexts.

• Posthuman Sexuality
• Materialist Perspectives
• Technology
• Sexual Identities
• New Materialist Ontology

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1. Posthuman sex: Inside the Viagra-assemblage. Nick J Fox University of Sheffield @socnewmat

2. Introduction A materialist perspective on sex and technology. Sex and ontology. The sexuality-assemblage. Posthumanising sex. Inside the Viagra assemblage. What else can a sex technology do? The intensifications of sexualities. @socnewmat

3. The turn to matter New materialist ontology: Not entities but relations. Not agency but affects (the capacity to affect or be affected). Not structures but un/stable assemblages. Not construction but production. Not textualities but matter. @socnewmat

4. Lively matter New materialists recognise the capacity of all matter to affect/be affected. So matter is lively, some say vital. Matter assembles in unstable, unpredictable and continually fluctuating ways. @socnewmat

5. The transparency of technology? Sociological perspectives on technology: Technological determinism Social shaping of technology Technology as affordance I explore technology instead from a materialist perspective. @socnewmat

6. What can a technology do? Avoids both social essentialism and technological essentialism. Let us ask instead about the material capacities of a technology in specific contexts. Do we really know what this technology actually does? To answer this we need to look at the micropolitics of that technology in context. @socnewmat

7. Sex and ontology Conventionally, sexuality is essential attribute of a body. Psychology Neurology Relatively stable and fixed. Sexology Individualised accounts have influenced biomedical and social science ontologies of sexuality. Psychoanalysis Humanist sociology Biomedicine @socnewmat

8. Individualising discourses ... ... classify sexual desires according to a very limited number of formulaic syntheses of genders and sexes: there is the norm (heterosexuality), then an inversion of the norm turned into an exclusive disjunction from the norm (homosexuality), then a perversion of the norm in a whole range of in-betweens (bisexuality and, to a much lesser degree, transsexuality) (Lambevski 2004: 306). @socnewmat

9. Posthuman sex Explore sexualities as relational. Sexualities link bodies to non-human things. Sexuality-assemblage (Fox and Alldred, 2013). Contemporary sexuality-assemblages may include technologies. Sex as non-human; posthuman. @socnewmat

10. Sexuality assemblages A generalised sexuality-assemblage: hormones sex organs - (sexual) past history sexual imagery/marketing/porn partial objects - fetishes (e.g. clothing) - sexual others romance love marriage social and economic relations @socnewmat

11. What can a sexuality-assemblage do? A sexuality-assemblage produces intensifications in bodies. It produces sexual and other capacities. But we cannot know in advance what other capacities it may produce. @socnewmat

12. Sex and technology: Viagra Viagra as treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). Explore Viagra as part of a sexuality-assemblage. Qualitative research study of online forum that discussed ED and Viagra. Participant observation and follow-up interviews. @socnewmat

13. Medical use of Viagra I buy my viagra via the internet, and I have had no concerns. It's fast, easy and cheaper than the local pharmacy. I have ED all the time, as defined as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection. Does that mean do I always take a Viagra before I engage in sexual activity? No I don't, because I engage my wife in some sort of sexual activity almost every day. She demands and deserves my physical attention. But when we want sustained intercourse, I take viagra. That's maybe once or twice a week on average. (Online interview) @socnewmat

14. Medical/recreational use I have been having erection problems for about a year due to high blood pressure and prescription drugs. My doctor gave me the sample pack of Viagra. The first time I took a 25 mg pill I got semi-hard after 30 minutes. After stimulation from my wife I got hard as a rock. We had sex for almost an hour doing various positions. I felt like I was 16 again. Even after ejaculation I still stayed hard. We did it twice after that. I have never performed like that in our 24 years of marriage! (online interview) @socnewmat

15. Recreational use Now i realise this great medicine should not be abused and I don t want to start any competitions but can i just say that after sneaking off with a long time friend of mine for a enjoyable weekend, i racked up 12 hours of non stop action on day one, 16 hours on day two and only 4 hours on day three due to the fact my supply had run out ( I ate 8 of those blue M&M`s that weekend ).The only side affects i suffered was the fact I tore all my stomach muscles and could not walk or laugh for 3 days. (Post to forum) @socnewmat

16. The micropolitics of Viagra Viagra was designed to produce a specific body intensification (capacity) - erection. What other capacities does it produce? To answer this, look at the Viagra-assemblage. This will reveal the micropolitics of Viagra. @socnewmat

17. The Viagra assemblage sex bedroom penis male sexuality Viagra identity - consumerism sex partner - internet - industry profit shareholders (Fox and Ward 2008) @socnewmat

18. Flows of affect in the Viagra assemblage I was panicking because of not being able to maintain my erection ... sometimes it went down totally, (which) was really disappointing my partner. From that moment I guess I got performance anxiety. My best friend at the office introduced me to Viagra a week after he saw my attitude change at the office due to my noticeable depression. Thanks to Viagra, I felt I am gaining my manhood again, but now lazy of doing sex without the blue pill. I am now becoming a big fan of Viagra, and afraid of having sex without it. (George) @socnewmat

19. @socnewmat What else can Viagra do? Medicalises sexualities. Privileges male penetration over other sexual activity. Creates expectations. Contributes to sexual and health identities. Affects intimate relationships. Produces dependency. Makes money ($1.5 bn a year) for its manufacturer Pfizer.

20. Posthuman sex Technologies like Viagra produce intensifications in sexuality-assemblages. Technologies can constrain or open up what a (sexy) body can do. Sexualities research exploring the non-human: Alldred, P. and Fox, N.J. (2015) The sexuality-assemblages of young men: a new materialist analysis. Sexualities, 18(8): 905-92. Fox, N.J. and Bale, C. (2017) Bodies, pornography and the circumscription of sexuality: a new materialist study of young people s sexual practices. Sexualities. DOI: 10.1177/1363460717699769 @socnewmat

21. Technology and intensifications Technologies in sexualities assemblages: Opportunities for having sex (e.g. dating apps). Enhancement of arousal/orgasm (e.g. drugs, internet porn). Many technologies place limits on the sexual . Which intensifications count as sexual? Can technologies open up new or different bodily intensifications? @socnewmat

22. Conclusions Technologies are lively, affective and productive of capacities. The Viagra-assemblage makes connections between human and non-human relations. We can trace affective flows through the body/technology assemblage. Technologies may close down or open up body capacities. Let us research the intensifications ( sexual and non- sexual ) produced by technologies. @socnewmat

23. Posthuman sex: Inside the Viagra-assemblage. @socnewmat