Prepare for the creepiest most Ballardian story you will read all year (via ABC.) And remember you've read it here first! I say that because no doubt it's going to become a primetime channel 4 documentary within weeks.
So here we go. A new (third-party) Facebook service is offering to give you the ability to create your perfect girl. Sounds pretty good hey boys? But you'll never be able to take her on a date because she's only going to exist on Facebook like a strange cyber girlfriend. At least she'll save you money on cinema tickets.
The site which is “coming soon” is called Cloud Girlfriend claims to generate a virtual girlfriend who can interact with you publicly on your social network of choice. For a fee (which is unconfirmed), the service provides a “network of real people, not bots” who posts romantic messages and communicate with users on Facebook. Is this better or worse than phoning a sexline? I just don't know.
If you're questioning the use of this service then let's let Cloud Girlfriends co-founder explain: “They can use the site to jump start the process of changing social perceptions about themselves. This interaction can provide real training experiences in navigating a friendship and a relationship."
Unfortunately for those interested, the Terms of Service prohibit Facebook accounts that don’t belong to real people. Sorry guys.
So what do you think of this service? Check it out here