Talk to Me (or Text Me)

To close the summer, Museum of Modern Art is hosting an exhibit called Talk to Me, chronicling  how people communicate with objects. From showcasing an interesting hand written code that was shared between homeless people to mark safe shelters in the 1900s to paying homage to the "human experience" of smart phones, the exhibit got me thinking about why it is so much easier to relate honestly to objects of technology instead of the objects of our affection.

Talk to Me highlights how overtime, people make objects more and more human to enhance our experiences with them. Think about it, the slightest human touch on ATMs, GPS and alarm clocks can make them feel more civilized and interactive.  But, ironically, when it comes to romance, we use objects to make our experiences less human, so we can open up more.

Online dating profiles are a great example. It has become almost normal to pour the intimate details of who we are and what we are hoping for onto a computer screen, but could you imagine actually articulating this information on a first or date? "Hi I'm Jewels, I work hard and play hard and am looking for a non-smoker who drinks occasionally, makes six figures and has a soft spot for REM. Additionally, I'm looking for a love that makes me want to jump out of the bed some mornings and never leave it other mornings. Did I mention he has to LOVE children and support my career?"

The offline dating game can be filled with pretense, obscurity and the infamous battle of HTG (hard to get). A funny game considering the purpose of dating is actually to be "gotten" in the end. Just think about the close of a date when you stumble through an awkward good-bye only two get a schmoopie text 5 minutes later saying "had so much fun, do it again?" Why is it so much easier to talk to your Iphone then to look in someone's eyes and speak honestly? 

Talk to me about what you think...via comments of course.  Talk to Me: through November 7th at MOMA, 11 West 53rd Street NY, NY.

He Gives Bad Text

Technology continues to fill in the gaps in our sex lives and relationships. In fact, the rate feels like it's accelerating. Last week I was struck with horror at Cloud Girlfriends, a service that lets guys create fake girlfriends on Facebook. But just when I was starting to think that even the virtual dating world exists through a male lens, I discovered Text Boyfriend a site that lets the ladies fulfill their Techromance fantasies with 3 texts a week from a digital BF. Their website exclaims that for just $1.99 a week women can get "Just the perfect amount of sweetness -- no overtexting, no drama. He's fun and cute and he's all about you!"

Freaking hilarious and actually insightful, especially given the sad state of text messages that get sent to women these days. To see just how low a guy will go when it comes to texting, I asked the sassiest bloggodessses out there to share some of the worst text messages they have ever received.

Miss Taylorcast of the Urban Dater:

"hi, i am busy this evening dear. maybe tomorrow you can come over and ride me."

"I am expecting to get yelled at so just text me. I won't pick up if you call. I called you a bitch cause you were being one."

MissMelissaMae

"So wt u bin up too?"

"Heyy miss hws lyfe treatn u?"

"When kan we fuck"

SingleMuch:

"Too bad you don't like dirty pics, would show you how hard I am."

"Come over. lol."

Some of the gems I have received:

"leaving work soon, pour a glass of wine so it's ready for me"

"F-that she went back to Hoboken, be home soon" (a mistaken text I received from a guy after I took a cab back to Hoboken after our date)

All I can say is these guys give bad text! Although Text Boyfriend might not be a substitute for a real man at least he serves to remind us of the good things that should come. PS: Just realized if you remove the words Text Boyfriend from that sentence I could be talking about a vibrator.