Technological advances, smartphones, and social media have changed lives and careers forever—including purchasing pussy.
-By Alex Lieberman
Last year, Wired magazine ran an article about how high-tech tools “transformed” New York City’s sex trade. While it was interesting (well, interesting to me anyway), it fell flat when it came to explaining the full impact of technology on my world of pay-for-play. It used to be that all you needed to hire a prostitute was a seedy street corner, a hard-on, and 50 bucks. The men—pimp and john—set the rules and price. We ladies were sexual equivalents of Oliver Twist, with our own personal Fagins to beat us when we didn’t meet our nightly quota.
But thanks to technology, the sex trade has moved from the streets to the suites. What was once a risky business made up of down-on-their luck women has become a viable profession for soccer moms, single girls with college loans, and working women with their eyes on the latest lace-up sandals from Nicholas Kirkwood (heaven!). Bottom line, the women are in control.
The tools of my trade now include a business cellphone, my website and email address, a screening service, and online “hobby” communities where I can advertise and compare notes with other “providers.” I can convey my services and gift preferences, confirm clients’ references, discreetly set up appointments, and provide feedback to any other providers who are look ing for references as well.
All of this technology helps the guys out, too. While the screening is probably the most frightening part of the purchase for him (“What do you mean you need to call my work for verification?!”), it’s a small price to pay for the enhanced experience. I know revealing personal information is scary, but it’s a must. I guarantee I’m just as worried as you are, if not more, about discretion and privacy. You can always ask an escort to delete your info after she has screened you, but you run the risk of not being able to use her as a provider for future trysts. Today’s clients can shop for girls like they shop for computers, comparing features (looks), specs (will she do anal?), preferences (roleplay?), prices, and availability. Guys can even use the same social sites that I do, reading reviews from other buyers on whether the pictures on my site were “accurate” and if they’d see me again. By the time the meeting comes, both parties know what to expect, and misunderstandings and surprises are kept to a minimum.
And, of course, the money is better. Technology allows today’s escorts to be independent, so they no longer have to split their revenue with a pimp, and fewer are even splitting it with an agency. But it’s not like the guys aren’t getting more bang for their buck. The higher take-home allows me to see fewer men, gives me the means to take care of my looks and my health, and makes each encounter a high quality one, making for excellent repeat business.
Now, Olivia Twist lives in a high-rise in the city, checks her email for her regular customers and maybe one or two promising prospects, and laughs at Fagin and his band of street meat down on the waterfront, blowing sadistic longshoremen, $25 at a time.