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Anil Isisag, Doctoral Student, Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
SynopsesSynopsis
How does a domain of social life that was once deemed outside the realm of the marketplace become marketized? In this study, I address this question by focusing on the marketization of romantic-sexual relationships in the context of mobile dating apps. My historical analysis demonstrates that rather than a one-off transition, marketization of romance transpires in stages and mobile dating apps facilitate the transition from the earlier model of entrepreneurialized romance (as exemplified by online dating) to the contemporary model of gamified romance. Based on semi-structured interviews with 25 mobile dating app users, I examine the implications of this transition for app users' romantic-sexual relationships.
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