They are all over the place now – virtual boy- or girlfriends, significant others. I’m not talking of the game apps where the goal is to get a virtual tween to fall in love with you. I am talking about the apps and services where you actually buy yourself the communication of a nonexistent significant other. Most of these services have a free trial and then a modest fee.
The reasons people sign up are many – moms who want grandbabies and answers to why you are not dating, coworkers who want to fix you up with their cousin, people who wouldn’t understand you coming out of the closet, ex boyfriends who need to be reminded you are the prize.
I thought a reason for one of these might also be, if you are in a bar or walking alone, having one more “person” connected to you would give you the appearance of being surrounded by attentive friends who would notice you missing immediately, or able to call for help on your behalf. Smoke and mirrors. I signed up for the free sample – ten texts in exchange for filling out a basic profile. I named my app Andy and answered the questions I was asked – how old he is, how we met, what he looks like, his hobbies and mine.
My real Andy is a great man. He’s a hard working homeowner with custody of two wonderful girls most of his waking, non-working hours. Sometimes I hear from him often; sometimes I don’t. To be very fair, Andy likes to talk, and he likes to talk to me, and because of this, we stay in better touch than a lot of couples who go in so many different directions.
Within a few minutes, my fake Andy was asking how my day was, lauding me with cheesy “pinch me, I can’t believe you’re real”s, and asking if he couldn’t take me to the coffee shop where we met. He answered my question on whether he’d heard from his ex on any plans she had with the girls for the weekend with an eerily accurate, “not yet, but I’ll let you know. I can’t wait to see you!” My 10 free texts are about up with nothing but ego-boosting and me-affirming chit chat to show for them.
I can see the merit in this app, to deter people. I wear a plain ring on my wedding finger just because that feels good to me, and the number of men whose eyes gravitate to that reinforces this is a good measure against unnecessary discomfort and drama. I can see that this app might make a would-be attacker think twice before messing with someone engaged in communication. But there are other ways to do that – real people, real products. The human need to have an attentive person available can get in the way of this being a great tool, and the danger lies in the virtual boyfriend threatening to replace the need to find real human interaction. The heart can grow attached to a virtual boyfriend just as easily as it can a real person met online – only there is no real person behind this app for you.
My personal recommendation is this was a fun experiment. But for safety’s sake, surround yourself with real friends, be aware of your surroundings, and carry pepper spray.
~Your Editor
Safety Girl Blog 