Has a lack of touch impacted our desires?
REPORT
19 Jun 2020
Has a lack of touch impacted our desires?

Whether it’s living vicariously through Normal People or counting down the days until a physical reunion, COVID-19 has forced us into a no-touch climate and we’re mourning the lack of skin-to-skin contact. Canvas8 spoke to three experts to explore what a post-touch world could look like.

Dominnique Karetsos

Dominnique Karetsos specialises in growth for sex-, fem-, and medtech start-ups. She co-founded the Healthy Pleasure Collective, the first integrated agency for sextech start-ups, and the Intimology Institute, a sexual wellness school.

Dr. Kory Floyd

Dr. Kory Floyd is a professor of communication and psychology at the University of Arizona. His research focuses on the communication of affection in close relationships and its effects on stress and physiological functioning.

Dr. Carey Jewitt

Dr. Carey Jewitt is professor of learning and technology at the UCL Institute of Education. She researches digitally-mediated communication, with a focus on touch, multimodal theory, and innovative interdisciplinary research methods.

India Doyle

India Doyle is the editorial director of Canvas8's Library. She oversees the editorial direction of research across content types to ensure Canvas8 members understand changes in consumer behaviour and culture and the opportunities around behavioural change. India has worked as a journalist for ten years, interviewing industry and cultural leaders including Christy Turlington, Olympic boxer Ramla Ali, and Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. She has contributed to SHOWStudio, Dazed and Confused, ekathimerini, Wonderland, and Dapper Dan magazine.

Megan Carnegie

Megan Carnegie is a journalist and editor. She has written for Courier, Time Out, Guardian Weekend, Creative Review, The Telegraph, Evening Standard, and more. Outside of work, she can be found reading, running, and killing off her houseplants.