Vivian, virtual girlfriend
I recently went to Johannesburg to work at the Mobile Active08 Conference. There I encountered a number of applications and advantages of mobile phones. Mobile phones form a part of a virtual community and they connect people through various means be it Mxit, MMS or SMS.
In Hong Kong, one is able to get a “virtual girlfriend” on your cellphone if it has video capabilities. It is modelled on the idea of the Tamagotchi pet. This has opened a whole new door for lonely men. The program was developed by a software company called Artificial Life Inc. (www.artificiallife.com).
‘Vivian’, a twenty year old gold digger, will appear on the screen as an animated figure, but is quite a needy girlfriend who requires a great deal of attention and expensive gifts. These are virtual gifts (which the ‘boyfriend’ pays real money for) but Vivian is not a slut and cybersex does not come with the package.
Collective Connection 
