Darker Me

Technosexual

Technosexual is a term used to describe an individual in one of two ways:

1. A person (usually a male) with a strong aesthetic sense and a love of gadgets. In this sense, it is a portmanteau word combining “technophile” and “metrosexual”, which was first promoted by creative professional Ricky Montalvo^[2] to describe “a dandyish narcissist in love with not only himself, but also his urban lifestyle and gadgets; a straight man who is in touch with his feminine side but has fondness for electronics such as cell phones, PDAs, computers, software, and the web.”^[3]
2. A person with a sexual attraction to machinery, as in the case of robot fetishism. When used thus, it is a portmanteau word combining “technophile” and “sexual”.^[4] As per this definition of the term, fictional android Gigolo Joe, played by Jude Law in the 2001 science-fiction film A.I. has become the iconic “technosex symbol”.^[1] Occasionally, this term is used as an insult, implying in a derogatory way that a person would prefer a sex toy to an actual sexual partner.

As with the metrosexual, companies have tried to promote the concept of the technosexual in order to sell products. Calvin Klein went as far as trademarking the term “technosexual” in 2005.^[5]