Some women are paying for virtual boyfriends: Here's why
What's the story
Today, a large number of people use smartphone technology to fight their loneliness.
Some remain hooked to OTT apps like Netflix and Prime Video while others use their devices to play games like PUBG.
But, now, some women are using modern-day tech to find a digital companion for themselves, more like a virtual boyfriend!
Here's all about it.
Virtual boyfriend
First up, what is a virtual boyfriend?
As the name suggests, a virtual boyfriend is a digital companion that women can have after shelling out a specific sum of money.
It is not a bot or AI-based system but real men who interact and establish an emotional relationship via digital means.
However, their relationship with women remains online-only, which means the affair never really turns sexual.
Trend
Women in China increasingly spending on virtual boyfriends
The trend of virtual boyfriends has been growing progressively in China, according to a report in AFP.
Single women are paying hundreds of dollars to hire these boyfriends and have a relationship where they'd send them a sweet 'wake up' text in the morning, give words of encouragement or ask them how they were doing from time to time.
Availability
Boyfriends are available on WeChat, e-commerce sites
As for the place of buying boyfriends, there are plenty of options.
A woman, for instance, could head over to popular multi-purpose messaging app WeChat or an e-commerce site like Taobao to pick/hire a virtual boyfriend.
"If someone is willing to keep me company and chat, I'm pretty willing to spend money," a 19-year-old who spent around $150 for these services told AFP.
Reason
Why women are more inclined towards this digital relationship?
From the looks of it, this appears to be a case of loneliness.
People in China spend a majority of their early lives trying to study and pass through the country's strict school and college education systems.
This affects the social skills of people, leaving them lonely and in need of a companion, even if it is a digital one.
Information
Could this be a thing outside China?
While the idea of a virtual boyfriend is something new, it still remains to be seen if this trend grows outside of China. It isn't just the Chinese people that are lonely; other parts of the world also suffer from the same issue.