Virtual Spaces: Sex and the Cyber Citizen

by Cleo Odzer, Ph.D.
ISBN 0-425-15986-8, Putnam Berkley, November 1997
Cyberspace. The new frontier. Its pioneers bear names such as LoveSearch, Tomato, Hot Chick, and Satan. They explore an endless variety of virtual spaces like “The Den of Love,” “The Lady’s Orgy Room,” “The Romance Chamber,” and “The Dungeon.” Their dialogue ranges from the sexuality direct (“What are you wearing?”, “Would you like to make love to another female?”) to the self-reflective (“You don’t seem interested in me,” and “Will I ever have sex again with a real person?”).

These are the voices of a new sexual revolution, waged on the virtual frontier of the internet, where personal anonymity and global access provide unlimited opportunities for sexual exploration. Who exactly are these explorers? What are they looking for? And what do they find? Cleo Odzer, an anthropologist and internet pioneer, has spent years studying human sexuality and has now applied her expertise and experience to unraveling the complex evolution of human relationships on the web. Dr. Odzer’s engaging account of sex in cyberspace takes us from the online equivalent of playing footsie to private internet rooms that only the most hardened sexual adventurer would dare enter. By explicitly chronicling her own life and adventures on the web, she reveals our deepest wishes, our darkest desires, and our universal need to connect. She tackles such controversial subjects as net sex and pornography, ethics in cyberspace, digital obsessions and love affairs. In the end, she discovers a virtual community as rich and diverse as any real-life counterpart -- a brave new world of email, chat rooms, and video-conferencing that, despite its modern trappings, provides a direct line to the most basic of human desires: the need for intimacy, passion, a sense of belonging, and love.

A brave and exciting voyage into the sexual cybersphere, Virtual Spaces offers not only a glimpse of our technical future, but a timeless exploration of the human heart.

Virtual Spaces: Sex and the Cyber Citizen can be ordered from amazon.com (discounted) or your rl local bookstore)


Want to see a video of Cleo demonstrating the various forms of net sex?
DISCLAIMER: You must be over 18 to watch Sex on the Net
Review of Virtual Spaces

Want to read an excerpt?


Virtual Spaces is also available in Chinese. ISBN 957-8306-11-3
Watch my RealVideo interview on cyberlove.net (after a 30 second PSA)
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