A lovestruck Romeo sings the streets a serenadeAt H+ Magazine, Katja Grace asks whether we are getting “better at romance,” or, more precisely, “more romantically efficient.” In case you’re wondering about the definition:
A romantically efficient person gets more affection and orgasms for the same input of searching and pining, just as an efficient farmer gets more grain and pigs for the same amount of land and dirt.
So much for, well, romance.Incidentally, Grace claims without apparent irony that “oddballs and pornography enthusiasts” are the people who have contributed the most to our romantic efficiency. This means that, basically, the Comic Book Guy is her ideal of the most romantically efficient, and presumably, happy and satisfied, person in our society:
UPDATE: See also Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal on efficiency.
You seem to have left out the "affection" component of Grace's definition and, therefore, mischaracterize the ideal of romantic efficiency.
Moreover, "oddballs," as Grace calls them, are more romantically efficient than ever before not simply because pictures of naked people are easier to find, but because websites have sprung up that enable two (or more!) people with specific and matching interests or kinks to meet one another and have a fulfilling, affectionate relationship without first having to suffer through innumerable failed relationships.
I'm not sure why your tone implies that there is nothing of value in Grace's observations…
I thought increasing the increasing success of nerds in the marriage market was one of the reasons suggested for the apparent increase in autism rates.
Why Aren’t Transhumanists More Successful at Love?
Because most of them are geeks.