Why is this year the year of sexology? Could you explain a bit more your words above?

Sex and technology are very much of the pop cultural conversation today, in a way they’ve never been before. And with that discussion, there has been no shortage of debate.

50 Shades of Grey is the perfect example. It rippled across age groups, genders and ethnicities. My own mother has read the books and plans to see the movie.  She openly talks about it among her friends. 10 years ago…heck, even five years ago, that would not have happened.

Simultaneously, we’re seeing more tech innovations purposed toward development and sales of sexually-oriented products. Wearables and virtual reality experiences top the list.

Their shared impact on the market has been notable, and it’s sparked a very open, widespread online debate focused on censorship.

We see historic champions of free speech like Google succumbing to the pressure of special-interest groups, imposing new rules borne of ambiguous moral precepts, rule of law be damned. Heck, I wrote a letter to Google on the subject (http://www.badoink.com/life/opinion/an-open-letter-to-google/).

Collectively, all of this creates the perfect climate to keep driving the discussion forward.

What is BaDoink exactly? Could you detail your interest and purposes?

BaDoink initially launched in 2006 as a premier online adult entertainment site. We tried, from the beginning, to focus on content delivery, rather than the content itself. So R&D went into developing software and features to ensure your porn, through BaDoink, is available everywhere you are, from desktop to mobile to the TV in your living room.

We created the BaDoink Ultra App, a software application for the desktop with features like private browsing, a download manager, wireless streaming to any TV in the house, a DVD burning application, even an iTunes exporter that allows you to watch any video on any iOS-powered device.

In the last few years, mobile has been a big focus. We’re 100% confident that our mobile members area is the best in the biz; we’ve even got apps in the iTunes App Store and GooglePlay Market, too.

The BaDoink brand has grown dramatically over the past few years, so in 2013 we expanded our offering to an online magazine focused on the convergence of technology, lifestyle and sex, the #1 destination for the tech savvy adult. We’re keen to be perceived more multi-dimensionally, and the magazine is key to accomplishing that goal. BaDoink is the voice of the new SexTech generation.

How much money is moving sexology? Are there many startups coming up?

The SexTech startup scene continues to grow almost exponentially. You have people like Cindy Gallop, founder of MakeLoveNotPorn, and Jennifer McEwan, co-founder of the Mikandi Adult App Store and Google Tits and Glass, championing this sector; quite an impressive list (the fact that so many women are drivers in this sector is refreshing, certainly when viewed alongside the veritable ‘old boys network’ of mainstream tech).

It’s estimated that SexTech is already a multi-billion dollar business and we’re just on the cusp of the first major breakthrough for moving fully into the mainstream. This time next year, it will be water cooler chatter and a frequent source major news headlines.

Do you think the use of technology and the internet is changing even more the way we act sexually than the way we act about love? (I mean, it is more or less common for everybody nowadays that ‘people can fall in love through internet but, what about sex?)

It’s hard to say, and I reckon its impact is different, region to region. In the US, a historically conservative country from a sexual perspective, it’s working to erase a stubborn taboo. I don’t see it further disconnecting sex from love; it is turn the subject into a more socially acceptable conversation.

The internet has changed the way we do everything, including our approach to sex, sexuality, and finding partners. Companies like Kiiroo are literally changing how one can experience intimacy through the internet. With their virtual reality breakthrough, it’s as if you’re in the same room with another person, a person who can be thousands of kilometers away.

It’s encouraging that, where our collective social evolution is concerned, advancements in SexTech are actually doing what disruptive technology is meant to do: bring people closer.

Whereas, if you look at the impact traditional technologies have had on our lives, it’s often quite the opposite effect.

 Are people evolving the way they make sex, also by feeling themselves free to tell their real fantasies?

People are and will always be open to new ideas in and out of the bedroom. The good news is that if there’s something in particular you like, or a fantasy or fetish you’d like to explore, there are plenty of avenues for exploration.

Further, for many, it is very reassuring to know that their fantasies are not abnormal or worthy of shame. In the end, these explorers meet plenty of other travelers on a similar journey, and learn, perhaps most importantly, that they are not alone.