Blockchain is probably the unsexiest chain you can think of behind the closed doors of the bedroom. However, as crypto and blockchain are slowly but steadily moving towards mainstream adoption, could blockchain also find its place in intimate lives?
Sex-to-Earn economy?
One of the ways blockchain could alter some people’s intimate lives is through the monetization of sexual activities. As bad as it sounds, there is a technological explanation. In decentralized ecosystems, the system encourages specific user behavior by providing economic incentives for this behavior. That is called x-to-earn, where x represents the users’ input in the digital community.
Play-to-Earn economies empowered by blockchain captured the gaming industry’s attention, and this crypto-economic system is now being applied in broader contexts like earning crypto to move, drive, learn, or write. If you can earn crypto for your steps, maybe it’s time for sex-to-earn mechanics?
At least, that is what the creators of the new SEXN project think. The project generates hype on social media by proposing users can earn crypto through sex or masturbation. Through “Four modes” of sexual activities, users can earn $SOT (Sex Orgasm Token) and $SST (Sexual Stamina Token) at different rates. A combination of different NFTs unlocks more ways to earn crypto.
In the project documentation, it is stated that the SEXN app will determine whether a user is having sex based on the measurements such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen concentration from the sensors on devices such as wearable bracelets, watches, or mobile phone. As stated, the app will be able to evaluate the bodily movement and reactions to reward just sex and prevent users from faking it by doing sports or other activities.
Despite the catchy statements, so far, an overall economic model of SEXN is not discussed in detail, and the provided roadmap is vague. So it is unclear who the team will be to deliver the anticipated results.
SEXN is not the only player that has adopted blockchain to enter the private lives of the crypto community. A Datingverse is a dating metaverse where users earn cryptocurrencies by going on dates.
In the whitepaper, Datingverse writes about the aim to integrate a large number of 3D/VR technology hardware devices that provide sexual pleasure, which should give users a dating experience beyond reality. The project team plans to carry out new technologies like scented devices, haptic devices, and other hardware to create immersive experiences.
Blockchain for Sexual Consent
Apart from the possibility of monetizing sex lives, blockchain could be used as a tool to give sexual consent. This idea popped into the minds of Dutch developers, who created a LegalFling app in 2018. Inspired by the #metoo movement, the app used blockchain to verify explicit consent before having sex.
Users of LegalFling can state their sex preferences, including usage of photography, condoms, and STD testing. The company states that the choices can be made “with the swipe of a finger.” Filled preferences are sent as a Fling request to their sexual partners via a messaging app. Accepting such a request, in theory, means agreeing to the preferences stated by the partner. Upon acceptance, the contract is timestamped, anchored, and logged in the blockchain.
However, the app created controversy, as some criticized LegalFling for downgrading sexual consent to a one-time checklist without leaving space to change one’s mind. Critics say consent is something that should occur continually throughout a sexual encounter.
The LegalFling website acknowledges that you can change your mind at any time and withdraw consent on the LegalFling app with a single click. In the press release, LegalFling compares its sexual consent contract to “sending a WhatsApp message that indicates privileges.”
Women criticized the idea that the consent apps are more orientated in protecting men from rape accusations, and not women from actual rape. They pointed out the fact that the company employs mainly men and has not consulted with the opposite gender. At the moment of writing, the app is no longer available on app stores.
Are People Ready?
Monetizing your bedroom adventures might sound legit in theory, but what if it applied to real-life situations? It is hard to imagine that many would be happy to measure their pulse and movements during sex to earn tokens.
Pausing a sexual activity to open up a sexual consent app and adjust the settings sounds crazy, as it is easier simply communicating one’s needs to a partner. If people are, in many cases, still shy when talking about sex, will making a smart contract before having sex be likely?
The blockchain solutions for intimate life mentioned earlier so far are mere experimentation. Time will tell if they will find their place in the human psyche.
