Technosexual
Technosexual (derived from Greek Greek: τέχνη - technē , "art, ability, craft"<ref>τέχνη, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus</ref> and Latin sexuālis, "sexual"<ref>sexuālis, Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913</ref>) is a term that circulated in media, fashion, and online outlets of the 2000s<ref>Clarke, Sean; Clarke, Seán (2005-01-27). "Are you a technosexual?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-27.</ref> to describe a male that possesses a strong aesthetic sense and a love of technology.<ref name="wordspy">"Word Spy contributors" (2004) Technosexual Archived 2014-07-17 at the Wayback Machine wordspy.com</ref>
History
The term "technosexuality" had been in use since the 70s, originally referring to a sexual attraction towards machines, robots and androids,<ref name="terra">"Nasce um novo homem: o tecnossexual" [A new man is born: technosexual]. Terra (in Portuguese). 2005-04-06. Archived from the original on 2005-04-06. Retrieved 2023-07-27.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)</ref><ref name=":0">"¿Adiós a los metrosexuales?". El Universal (in español). Retrieved 2023-07-27.</ref> being synonymous with ASFR or "other sexual devices not really occurring in real life".<ref name="miller 2004" />
The first usage of the term as a concept distinct from ASFR was coined by US physicist and mathematician Ricky Montalvo in 2003,<ref>"Ricky Montalvo: There is a geek in all of us, so why not show us". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2023-07-27.</ref> as a portmanteau of "technophile" and "metrosexual". He launched the website "Technosexual.org" the same year,<ref name="montalvo 2003">Montalvo, Ricky (2003), technosexual, archived from the original on 2003-12-02, retrieved 2023-07-27</ref> where he provided the following description of a technosexual man:
technosexual
(TEK.noh.sek.shoo.ul) n. dandyish narcissist in love with not only himself, but also his urban lifestyle & gadgets; a man who is in touch with his feminine side but has fondness for electronics such as cell phones, pda's, computers, software, and the web.
— Ricky Montalvo, Technosexual.org<ref name="montalvo 2003" />
Montalvo later shared the same definition to the Urban Dictionary, while augmenting it with the following passage:
Someone who is a geek in of style, or a stylish person in need of geek is a technosexual.
— Ricky Montalvo, Urban Dictionary<ref name="Urban Dictionary">[http://www.urbandictionary.com/author.php?author=ricky+montalvo
At Technosexual.org, each "technosexual" wrote under pseudonyms related to their topic of choice for their column, collectively know as "The Mr's". These consisted of Montalvo as "Mr. Gadget", Geoff Nelson as "Mr. Style", Dave Chen as "Mr. Technology" and Derek Dukes as "Mr. Culture". Nelson described the group as "the revolutionary brothers of the metrosexual movement".<ref>Technosexual.org Meet the "Mr's", 2004, archived from the original on 2004-02-04, retrieved 2023-07-27</ref> They sought to "redefine the term to a lifestyle where gadgets are a part of everyday style and life".<ref name="miller 2004" />
The term soon gained traction across news websites and social media, being dubbed as "the uber tribe of Geeks".<ref name="mishra 2005">Mishra, Sourav (2005). "Forget metrosexual! Here comes the technosexual". Economic Times. Retrieved 2023-07-27.</ref> A Facebook group titled "I married a technosexual" was created by Joanna Wiebe, who dedicated it "for anyone who is married, or attached, to a total technosexual".<ref name="g1 2005">Juliana Carpanez (2005-03-16). "Nerds vaidosos dão origem à tribo dos tecnossexuais" [Well-groomed nerds originate the tribe of technosexuals]. G1 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-07-27.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)</ref> Taken from the description of a community for Brazilian technosexuals hosted on Orkut:
SE VC GOSTA DE TECNOLOGIA E É BONITO, CUIDA DO SEU CORPO E DE SUA APARÊNCIA, GOSTA DE ACADEMIA, MP3, INTERNET, MSN......
CUIDADO !!!!!!!!!!!
VC É UM TECNOSSEXUAL.........RSRRSSR
ESSA COISA DE METROSSEXUAL, JÁ ERA, COISA DO PASSADO
BEM VINDO AO FUTURO
IF U LIKE TECHNOLOGY AND ARE HANDSOME, TAKES GOOD CARE OF YOUR BODY AND APPEARANCE, LIKES GOING TO THE GYM, MP3, THE INTERNET, MSN......
WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!
YOU ARE A TECHNOSEXUAL.........LOLLOOL
THIS METROSEXUAL THING, IT'S OVER, A THING OF THE PAST
WELCOME TO THE FUTURE
In 2005, the Calvin Klein company trademarked the term technosexual as part of their 'CK in2u' fragrance campaign. The fragrance bottle was designed by Stephen Burks, resembled an Apple iPod, featuring glass and white plastic. Tom Murry, the president of the company, claimed they had "envisioned [CK in2u] as the first fragrance for the technosexual generation". Press materials for the product highlighted modern-day technology-driven interactions, with lines such as "She likes how he blogs, her texts turn him on. It's intense. For right now."<ref name="Wilson 2007">Wilson, Eric (2007). "How to Bottle a Generation". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-03-08.</ref>
Characteristics
Swedish footballer Fredrik Ljungberg is often cited as the perfect example of a technosexual man, due to an image of masculine sensuality and tech savviness.<ref>"Tecnosexual". Patologías urbanas. 2005-01-27. Retrieved 2023-07-27.</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>Dal Col, Angelo Alecsandro (2010-05-05). "Metrossexualidade e retórica: o homem como produto". Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo.</ref><ref>REDACCION (2005-10-16). "Una historia de hombres tecnosexuales". Panamá América (in español). Retrieved 2023-07-27.</ref><ref>Percília, Eliene. "Tecnossexual". Brasil Escola (in português do Brasil). Retrieved 2023-07-27.</ref>
In a 2004 interview, Montalvo gave the following description of a technosexual lifestyle:
With metrosexuality, it's about style, fashion, culture, and grooming for the straight male. A metrosexual man may be seen at an NBA game one night and an art gallery opening the next.
We take it one step further by adding technology. A technosexual man may not need to go to the NBA game because he can get highlights and scores via SMS or by browsing the web on his PDA while at the art gallery.
The technosexual lifestyle is universal, it has no druthers towards sexual preference. Our guys dress from Banana Republic, Saks, and Neiman's and shop at Crate & Barrel, but they also make stops in Best Buy and CompUSA.
— Ricky Montalvo, in Katharine Miller, Enter the Technosexual, AlterNet <ref name="miller 2004" />
It has been suggested that a female counterpart to a technosexual is a "technosexualista" or a "technodiva".<ref name="terra" /><ref name="miller 2004">Miller, Katharine (2004). "Enter the Technosexual". AlterNet. Archived from the original on 2004-03-13. Retrieved 2023-07-27.</ref> A change in women's standards when searching for a partner is suggested to be part of the technosexual appeal, as "the woman's ideal man" has been transformed by technology from "someone who can mow the lawn, change the oil in the household cars, and clean the rain gutters" into "someone who can troubleshoot the household DSL or get last-minute movie showtimes".<ref name="miller 2004" />
See also
References
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