intimacy

5 reasons why YOU (not an A.I.!) should write your own online dating messages

Kate Sloan
Photo by mb

Sometimes people are surprised to hear I’ve been writing about sex and relationships for over a decade, as though there can’t possibly be that much to say on those subjects (this blog’s 1.4-million total word count would beg to differ!). What I always tell them is that sexuality and romance are endlessly fascinating – not only because they contain infinite variations, but because technological and cultural progression constantly pushes them to evolve. Sometimes these evolutions are slow, and sometimes they’re rather sudden – such as, for example, the way language models like ChatGPT are affecting dating online.

I won’t go too deep into the common criticisms of this type of A.I., since you’ve probably heard them already: the creative theft, the ecological impacts, and so on and so forth. All of that stuff is important and has been written about at length by people who know more about it than I – but another thing that troubles me about A.I., personally, is the way it might affect our relationships.

It already is affecting them, in fact. I know several people (myself included) who’ve been surprised and hurt when a friend or partner sent a text that seemed to be ChatGPT-generated, as if personal connection is something that can be delegated to a digital assistant. Similarly, several news outlets have reported on the phenomenon of people using A.I. for online dating – either to help them craft their profile, or (worse, in my opinion) to write messages for them.

I very much understand the impulse, as a socially anxious person myself – but today I want to make the case for why you absolutely should not do this, even if you really want to.  You’ll be shortchanging your potential partners, but most of all, you’ll be shortchanging yourself. Here’s why:

1. A.I.-generated messages are bad. Like, embarrassingly bad.

Seriously. And they’re easy to spot, especially by people who’ve used these LLMs and are familiar with their cadence. Do you really want someone’s first impression of you to be “this person is intellectually lazy, socially unskilled, and totally disinterested in authentic human connection”?

I promise, even if you think you’re a bad writer, you’ll be ahead of the curve if you just write a specific compliment about the person’s profile followed by an open-ended and interesting question their profile inspired in you. And it’ll sound like you, not like a soulless collage of stolen excerpts. On that note…

2. You (not the A.I.) need to figure out what interests you about the person you’re messaging.

Sometimes people ask me, “What should I say in a first online dating message?” After telling them about Girl on the Net’s ‘compliment + question + connect’ formula, I’ll usually add: What caught your eye about the person’s profile? What made you swipe right (or whatever’s the equivalent on your app/site of choice)? Surely it’s something a little more specific and interesting than just “They looked hot in their photo.” Ponder the answer(s) to that question and you’ll have some good starting points for initial messages.

Sure, you could screenshot someone’s profile and feed it into an A.I. to generate a list of potential questions and talking points – but then you’re messaging them about what the robot finds notable. By contrast, the things that you find notable about someone’s profile are hugely useful clues – they can help you come up with conversation topics, sure, but more importantly, they help you assess whether this is someone you want to go out with/could be attracted to/might be compatible with. When you entrust that discernment task to a robot, you’re robbing yourself of the opportunity to get more in touch with your desires and to connect authentically with people who could fulfill them.

3. You only get better at socializing by doing more of it.

As I mentioned, I’m socially anxious myself – so I sympathize with folks who find it soothing to navigate social interactions with ChatGPT, I really do… but the thing about taking the easy way out is, you never learn to take the harder route, and so that route remains unfamiliar and foreboding. That can be a massive bummer when that route happens to lead to somewhere cool – like deep, fulfilling intimacy with another human being. Dating is a numbers game, and it ends up being a social-skills training ground for all kinds of people, not just socially anxious ones – so try not to feel bad about being unskilled at it; we all have to start somewhere.

Further, not to sound like an alarmist luddite, but some burgeoning science has shown that ChatGPT usage may make you more intellectually lazy and unengaged over time… which doesn’t bode well for its effects on relationships, an area where mental disengagement can be very noticeable, hurtful, and destructive. (Ever tried to tell a vulnerable personal story to a partner or close friend who was very obviously not listening? It fucking sucks!!)

4. When you meet IRL, your A.I. messages will be soooo obvious in retrospect.

Seriously, no one talks the way ChatGPT writes – and if they did, they’d sound strange! – so your date will probably realize pretty quickly that the texts you exchanged were a sham, which (again) is mighty embarrassing for you, and makes it hard for the other person to feel that their connection with you is genuine.

You’re putting them in an awkward position, too, since they might have their suspicions about A.I. involvement but likely don’t want to sound accusatory or insane by bringing it up. However, they’ll probably wonder about it distractingly for the entire duration of the date, which brings me to my fifth and final point…

5. You can’t outsource intimacy and vulnerability.

This is really the big one, huh?

When I say ‘intimacy,’ I mean the emotional kind (I don’t use it as a euphemism for sex). This type of intimacy is impossible to build without some measure of mutual vulnerability. And if all (or even some) of your messages are written by ChatGPT, you are sidestepping vulnerability, and you are therefore sidestepping intimacy itself.

I can’t let someone in unless I feel that they are letting me in, too. I can’t trust someone with my softness, my heart, or my body if they hold me at arm’s length emotionally. And if ChatGPT is writing their texts for them, well, they might as well show up to a date wearing a printed jpeg of someone else’s face pasted over their own – it’d be just as connective, just as sexy, and would get them just as laid.

 

What do you think about all this, dear readers? Feel free to sound off in the comments…

 

This post contains a sponsored link. As always, all writing and opinions are my own.

What’s Even More Intimate Than Sex?

Kate Sloan
This babe took me to Sweeney Todd + an improv show on our 2nd date, so you KNOW she understands the value of what I’m talking about in this post!

I’ve been pondering the word “intimacy” a lot lately, because it’s constantly being misused. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen a lube marketed as “intimacy gel,” for example, I’d have… enough money to buy a lube that proudly calls itself lube instead!

Intimacy, to my mind, is a mental and emotional thing, not a physical or directly sexual thing – although certainly it pairs beautifully with sex for many of us, the way a fine wine pairs with a fine cheese.

I see intimacy as the ability to be psychologically vulnerable with someone – or “emotionally nude,” as Ricken Hale might say – and to hold their vulnerability in return. I also see it as the ability to be fully yourself with someone, and the knowledge (or at least the hope and belief) that they will adore and accept you, just as you are. It’s a difficult thing for many of us to find, not only because it’s rare to meet someone cool/hot/nice/smart/funny enough that you want to open up to them, but also because intimacy itself requires a certain level of soul-baring that can be uncomfortable at times – although I think it can also be revelatory and soul-nourishing, when it’s good, so it’s usually worth the gamble. (Hey, wasn’t that the whole point of my heart dice tattoo?!)

To that end, there’s something I find to be just as intimate as sex, and sometimes even more intimate. I’m talking about feeling deeply in someone’s presence.

Granted, yes, sex definitely falls into that category – at least, any sex I’d be excited to have. Ditto some sex-adjacent activities like hanging out at a strip club, casually watching porn with a friend, or jerking off with a stranger on a sex cam site like Chaturbate. But also within that category are things like: Watching a great movie together. Attending live music or comedy. Seeing gorgeous sights together while traveling. Conquering a difficult co-op video game or board game together. Working together on a high-stakes work project or creative performance. Hell, even just having a fantastic conversation can make you both feel strong feelings around each other, reaching soaring heights of intimacy that plenty of sex doesn’t even touch.

As a demisexual person, I find that some measure of emotional intimacy is required before I’ll be able to feel sexually attracted to someone. There will usually be a moment where something clicks and I suddenly think, “Ohhhh. I think I want to fuck you! How’d I never notice it before?!“

I’m sure it’s no coincidence that many such moments have occurred while my crush and I were diving to emotional depths together, whether we were laughing our asses off in the front row of a comedy show, mashing controller buttons side-by-side in a hyper-competitive Mario-off, or catching a rom-com at the local multiplex. I loved seeing a window into their most vulnerable self, much earlier in the get-to-know-ya process than I’d normally get to, whether that manifested more like childlike joy or the willingness to break down in tears.

Before that, at my arts high school full of weirdos, my most intense crushes tended to be on people I collaborated with: improv teammates, Shakespeare scene-study buddies, even the guy I co-wrote a fake Simpsons spec script with in Writer’s Craft class. I’ve always liked seeing people cracked open emotionally, spilling out a little; it’s so much more interesting than the staid small talk you’re usually limited to when first getting to know someone.

Sometimes I’ll even choose a date location/activity with this in mind, especially when I’m trying to discern if a budding connection has staying power. Are they comfortable laughing their ass off in front of me, in a borderline-unflattering way, and do I likewise feel I can laugh that hard in front of them without giving them “the ick”? If the movie we’re watching is sad, are they gonna be weird about me crying on their shoulder, or will they hand me a tissue and tug me closer? If a really hot sex scene on TV makes us want to hit pause and jump each other’s bones, will we let ourselves get swept away like lusty young lovers? These examples may seem pretty different – happy, sad, horny – but the point is the intensity of the feeling, not its identification. I think I’d make out with a hottie just as enthusiastically after Fight Club as I would after Secretary, y’know?

I always feel like I know someone better after we’ve felt strong feelings together, whether we’ve watched a tearjerker or a jerk off cam. Knowing someone deeply, and being known deeply, is the very definition of intimacy to me – so I suppose it’s no coincidence that it’s the hottest thing in the world to me, too.

 

This post contains sponsored links. As always, all writing and opinions are my own.

9 Ways to Access Pleasure & Intimacy Without Having Sex

Kate Sloan

What with pandemic stress, chronic pain, and a shifting libido as I get older, sometimes I just don’t feel like having sex, even though I genuinely think my partner is the hottest person in the world. Sexuality is mysterious like that.

That said, I’m lucky enough to be with someone who understands that “standard” sex is not the only way to feel connected to a partner, make them feel good, or express your love for them.

Here are 9 ways you could have a pleasurable, body-based, and/or romantic experience with your partner, without delving into “sex” territory:

 

1. Masturbate together. A classic! I love to do this when I’m too tired/achy to put much actual effort into sex. Bonus points for using a good wand vibrator – it makes getting off much easier for me and also enables me to focus more on my partner because I can just “set it and forget it” on my clit.

2. Just cuddle, without expectations. I remember when I was ~16 and cuddling with a romantic prospect felt like the most exciting, intimate thing in the world. It still can be! If you find it awkward or boring to just lie there, you could watch TV or listen to a podcast together while you snuggle up.

3. Give or receive a massage. There are soooo many styles of massage to learn about and try out, from Swedish massage to Tantric massage to hot stone massage – but even just keeping it super basic with some massage oil and unskilled rubbing can be blissful and connective.

4. Watch comedy or horror together. Weird pairing, I know – but I really do think these genres are two sides of the same coin, neurochemically. If you pick an uproarious comedy or a terrifying horror flick to watch with your sweetie, the two of you will go through some intense feelings together, which can be connective in and of itself – plus you’ll get the endorphin rush associated with laughing super hard or getting scared shitless. (If you need recommendations: my all-time favorite comedies include The Birdcage, Anchorman, The Producers, and Down With Love, while my fave horror movies include Get Out, The Exorcist, Midsommar, and It.)

5. Draw on each other. My friend Casia Sobolewski loves to do this, and first introduced me to its sensual pleasures. Get out an assortment of different-colored markers – ideally the washable kind that kids use, not Sharpies! – and create some art on one another’s bodies. In addition to being a delightful creative project, this also creates a tickly, sensuous feeling on your skin that is truly unique and even kinda sexy.

6. Do spa treatments on each other. My partner is a foot fetishist so I imagine they’d be quite keen to give me a pedicure if I asked; what spa-esque procedures would you find fun to do for a partner? Apply a goopy sheet mask to their face? Shave their legs in a vaguely kinky manner? Moisturize every inch of their skin?

7. Indulge in sadomasochism. Now, certainly it’s debatable whether kink “counts” as “not sex,” since – for many kinky people, myself included – kink scenes often feel like sex and essentially are sex even if there’s no genital contact, orgasms, etc. But it’s good to be reminded that kink is an option for when more conventional/vanilla sex feels inaccessible or unappealing! I can think of few things that make me feel closer to my partner, or more loved by them, than receiving a lengthy hand-spanking, flogging, or paddling.

8. Have a singalong. If one or both of you play an instrument and can do live accompaniment, so much the better! But you can also just pull up some karaoke tracks from YouTube or Spotify, or just sing along to your favorite tunes. Making music with a loved one is tons of fun and feels like a collaborative project, kinda like sex in its own way.

9. Meditate together. If you’re spiritually inclined, or just interested in mindfulness, this could be an interesting couples’ activity. I imagine it’d be grounding and refocusing to hold hands with my partner while we both meditate; afterward, we could talk about how it all felt, and what we thought of the experience.

 

What non-sexual activities do you find sensually pleasing and connective to do with your partner(s)?

 

This post was sponsored. As always all writing and opinions are my own.