BY Lux Alptraum
June 27, 2007
106 views
0 Comments

You’ve probably heard about digital intimacy — you know, the ways in which text messaging/email/the Internet/etc allow us to get closer to people who may be thousands of miles away. In war torn Baghdad, where going out in public (let alone engaging in public displays of affection) can be a life-threatening activity, couples are turning to digital intimacy as a substitute for in person dating.

Rather than risk going out in public, couples are turning to online dating and chat rooms (or, in some cases, good old fashioned matchmakers) to meet potential paramours, then sustaining their courtships (and getting to know their partners) through email, text, and phone calls.

That’s right: flirty texts are the new walk in the park.

How serious is all this? Here’s one young Iraqi’s take on the situation:

Ali Mohsen, a 24-year-old driver, says he has not been on a single date with Samar, whom he has been “dating” on the telephone since 2004. Samar’s parents refuse to let her go out without a family escort.

“I used to see her a lot from a distance when she came with her family to visit her uncle, who was our neighbor,” he explained. “The uncle has moved and for me to see her now we agree on a time when I can walk past her house and look at her in the window.”

[NB: Perhaps these couples would benefit from Boinkology's advice on how to have phone sex.]