The following is a dystopian “what if” narrative set in the year 2025.

The year is 2025. It has been five years since COVID-19 enveloped the world in an avalanche of fear and death.

But yes, I apologize for going all gloom and doom smack in the first line of this article. The good news is, the world hasn’t ended. As they say, life must go on and humanity has somehow found ways to adapt to a new norm after the pandemic wreaked havoc across the globe.  

In the sexual arena, the great teledildonics uptick of sales in 2020 paved the way for more technological advancements. If you’ve never heard of this word before, it’s simply a fancy word that means “high-tech sex toy”. 

And in case you don’t know, the brain is the biggest sex organ in our body. That means innovations such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality-based applications and teledildonic devices really made it possible for relationships to flourish despite the social distancing aspects. This paved the way for the development and production of sex toys that can bridge the gap between couples who want to stay connected to each other during the social distancing measures, such as his and hers sex toy sets that allowed both devices to be connected, thus simultaneously creating a link between couples. In this situation, where it wasn’t possible before, two-way virtual sex through these devices has successfully allowed men and women to stay connected to their carnal pleasure partners anytime, anywhere.

By 2025, sex toy makers have upped their game. Productions are still at an all-time high. Realizing the boundless opportunities for long-distance sex toys to prove themselves, manufacturers are clamoring to create smart sex toys that will help facilitate touch and human interaction. These innovative sex aids top the charts for major e-commerce platforms. Amazon, AliBaba, Wish - all the big names have not only hopped onto the bandwagon, they’ve turned it into a massive vehicle to carry through the results of their research and innovation, manifested in the form of a dizzying cornucopia of sex toys to suit all needs, budget and enjoyment. 

In fact, it even paved the way for corporations to be agile and pivot towards this shift in the global market. OnlyFans has been acquired by a major Chinese company and now produces smart sex toys that can be seamlessly integrated into their platform. Its influencers can now cross-sell these devices to their followers for a more enhanced… performance. 

Some may also be amused to find that the conglomerate that took over the platform has pivoted and expanded their reach into quite literally most homes with their new line of high-tech home appliances that also double up as sex toys. One of the biggest bestsellers making waves on the internet is a solar-powered vacuum cleaner that comes with a myriad of accessories and appendages, which can be affixed to the device, transforming it into a sex toy. 

What wonderful times we live in, indeed.

A typical day immersed in the virtual sex toy industry within the booming sex toys industry would look like this: 

My day begins with checking my phone for notifications from the myriad of sex apps I’ve installed. Partly due to boredom, but mostly because I crave human connection. One of the augmented reality dating apps on my phone pinged urgently: a flood of messages have come in over the night while I was sleeping. One of them was from Anthony, a Lithuanian lover I’d recently gotten to know. He’s sweet, chivalrous, and, most importantly, generous. I should mention that he’s somewhat like my sugar daddy right now, and even though I’d never really delved into this before, being showered with gifts and attention doesn’t look too bad.

Today, he’s gifting me a new sex toy that has just been released into the market. It connects seamlessly with major sex and dating apps, allowing its wearer to experience pleasures throughout the day. Unlike other sex toys in its department, this particular one works intuitively, and autonomously. With the capability of detecting its wearer’s emotions, it was able to convey pleasurable vibrations when one is particularly stressed. 

You can imagine how delighted I was to receive this.

“Good morning, Tracy. You’ve been a bad girl last night. The things you did to me, you deserve to be spanked for that naughty behavior of yours,” read the message. “I hope you like this little gift - can’t wait to use it together tonight.”

“Oh Ant, you know me too well!” I typed back. “I will have you know that you’ve inspired me to put on a new set of lingerie this morning…” On the app, my avatar tried on a sexy set of bra and panties that left nothing to the imagination. Tapping a button sends the AR image across to my lover in faraway Lithuania.

The response was instant. “You look amazing, love. Charge it to me, and feel free to pick up a few accessories for our nightly rendezvous too.” Complying, I added a few items to my avatar’s cart - within a day, the actual accessories will arrive at my address, but for now, my avatar is traipsing around her room putting on her lingerie, awaiting other goodies to drop down into her virtual realm.

Last month, he gifted me yet another sex toy. This time, the female masturbator comes with a wireless earpiece and matching application that can be connected to the device, giving auditory output that matches a customizable sex scene. That, so far, has been my favorite. It wasn’t terribly cutting-edge, but it allowed me to build my own sexy scenarios with a desired lover. Oh, the hours of fun we had! It was like the Sims all over again. Adventure, passion and lust at our fingertips - what else could we wish for?