December 22, 2004
Tech voyeurism the new curse of teendom
Tech voyeurism, as exemplified by the sexually explicit video clip showing two Delhi school children in a sexual act, is the new curse that afflicts teenagers these days, reports Silicon India.
"Technology has become the icing on the cake of sexuality. New-age tech gizmos have outed sexuality and promiscuity among school children and adults in a big way," Jitendra Nagpal, consultant psychiatrist with leading mental hospital VIMHANS, told IANS.
As Nagpal points out, what's new in this genre of voyeurism is that it trades in unabashed sexual exhibitionism and narcissism through the "facilitatory medium" -- a dazzling array of new technologies like the Internet, multi-media messaging service (MMS) and camera phones.
Using surrogate means of expressing sexuality and adding the spice of obscenity to it is what marks out this new genre of salacious thrill-seeking."
The scandal is just one of many controversies in recent months that signal that India's conservative veneer -- inspired by centuries of Victorian morals spread under British colonial rule -- may be fading under the impact of Western influences and a technological revolution, experts say, reports Reuters
It could be a much-needed wake-up to a country which is home to the world's second largest HIV/AIDS population and where most children leave school without any sex education.
Related articles:
-- Sex-case Delhi schoolboy bailed
-- Ban on camera enabled cellphones on campus
-- Schoolboy quizzed over sex video
-- Delhi sex: MMS boy destroyed mobile phone
-- Delhi schoolboy sparks global porn row
-- More revealing than a wet sari
-- EBay Fights India Arrest Over Sale of Sex Video
-- 'Baazee case will set precedent'
-- Court Grants Bail to EBay's Indian Exec
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