Everybody knows social media can be creepy. But lately it seems it’s getting a little too intimate with us, calling us by our first names and channeling embarrassing memories into our feeds. The Internet enticed us to move our lives online, promising an end to isolation. Since its inception it has demystified sexuality for millions of people. So now we can access love and intimacy at our fingertips. And technology is only going to continue to take intimacy to a whole new level in the future. As we continue the quest to augment our existence, virtual reality holds the promise of lifelike experiences without the need of actual physical presence. Virtual romantic partners like Samantha in the movie Her are poised to be a reality. In fact, new apps like Alice AI or Invisible Boyfriend are already out there, sending you loving texts like a real partner might. It gets even edgier, with futurists predicting that in just 10 to 15 years we will have robots that look and feel incredibly like us, robots we can cuddle and even have sex with. It’s obvious that these developments directly impact our evolution.

But can emerging science and technology defeat loneliness? How will interhuman relationships evolve in this context? Are we seeing the collapse of the institution of marriage? Is the potential for sexual education still unexplored? How is our psyche responding to all these changes? Can we find real intimacy amid shifting identities and permanent surveillance?

We want to invite you to an evening of questioning current developments and envisioning the future of intimacy.

Full program and tickets available at tedxvienna.at

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In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxViennaSalon, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxViennaSalon event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.