To sort, to match and to share: addressivity in online dating platforms
This paper analyses addressivity in online dating platforms, with OkCupid as its focus. Drawing from Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of addressivity, I argue the need for a generic account of online dating—one that focuses on the particular kinds of address that typify expressive scenarios on its platforms...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2018-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Aesthetics & Culture |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20004214.2017.1400864 |
| _version_ | 1811238066333941760 |
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| author | Emily Rosamond |
| author_facet | Emily Rosamond |
| author_sort | Emily Rosamond |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper analyses addressivity in online dating platforms, with OkCupid as its focus. Drawing from Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of addressivity, I argue the need for a generic account of online dating—one that focuses on the particular kinds of address that typify expressive scenarios on its platforms. Rather than focusing solely on how users address themselves to other users, I instead examine several layers of addressivity within the online dating scenario: (1) users addressing other users, (2) users addressing platforms, (3) platforms addressing publics, (4) companies addressing investors, and (5) investors addressing users. I argue that within surveillance capitalism generally, and within online dating platforms in particular, there is an imbalance of addressivity: though online users are broadly aware that their data may be collected and analysed, they are nonetheless unconscious of and/or uncomfortable with this form of sharing, because it does not easily fit into previously known narratives of dating. In other words, the automatic gathering and analysis of data by OkCupid is a background condition of all its users’ activity—but this is not sufficiently accounted for in users’ generic understandings of online dating. OkCupid cofounder Christian Rudder’s continual efforts to make online dating data analytics both understandable and palatable for users (via OkCupid’s promotional material, TED-Ed talks, a blog and a book on data) aims, in part, to address this imbalance. These stagings of the platform’s address to its users aim to garner interest in, and acceptance of, becoming part of aggregated, privatized data sets—and indeed, coming to be witnessed and assetized by the automated gaze of data analytics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:34:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-60ac13494038468f9787df4983edbdb9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2000-4214 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:34:04Z |
| publishDate | 2018-08-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Aesthetics & Culture |
| spelling | doaj.art-60ac13494038468f9787df4983edbdb92022-12-22T03:32:56ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Aesthetics & Culture2000-42142018-08-01103324210.1080/20004214.2017.14008641400864To sort, to match and to share: addressivity in online dating platformsEmily Rosamond0University of LondonThis paper analyses addressivity in online dating platforms, with OkCupid as its focus. Drawing from Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of addressivity, I argue the need for a generic account of online dating—one that focuses on the particular kinds of address that typify expressive scenarios on its platforms. Rather than focusing solely on how users address themselves to other users, I instead examine several layers of addressivity within the online dating scenario: (1) users addressing other users, (2) users addressing platforms, (3) platforms addressing publics, (4) companies addressing investors, and (5) investors addressing users. I argue that within surveillance capitalism generally, and within online dating platforms in particular, there is an imbalance of addressivity: though online users are broadly aware that their data may be collected and analysed, they are nonetheless unconscious of and/or uncomfortable with this form of sharing, because it does not easily fit into previously known narratives of dating. In other words, the automatic gathering and analysis of data by OkCupid is a background condition of all its users’ activity—but this is not sufficiently accounted for in users’ generic understandings of online dating. OkCupid cofounder Christian Rudder’s continual efforts to make online dating data analytics both understandable and palatable for users (via OkCupid’s promotional material, TED-Ed talks, a blog and a book on data) aims, in part, to address this imbalance. These stagings of the platform’s address to its users aim to garner interest in, and acceptance of, becoming part of aggregated, privatized data sets—and indeed, coming to be witnessed and assetized by the automated gaze of data analytics.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20004214.2017.1400864Online datingbig dataaddressivityBakhtinsurveillancesurveillance capitalismplatform capitalismfinancializationassetization |
| spellingShingle | Emily Rosamond To sort, to match and to share: addressivity in online dating platforms Journal of Aesthetics & Culture Online dating big data addressivity Bakhtin surveillance surveillance capitalism platform capitalism financialization assetization |
| title | To sort, to match and to share: addressivity in online dating platforms |
| title_full | To sort, to match and to share: addressivity in online dating platforms |
| title_fullStr | To sort, to match and to share: addressivity in online dating platforms |
| title_full_unstemmed | To sort, to match and to share: addressivity in online dating platforms |
| title_short | To sort, to match and to share: addressivity in online dating platforms |
| title_sort | to sort to match and to share addressivity in online dating platforms |
| topic | Online dating big data addressivity Bakhtin surveillance surveillance capitalism platform capitalism financialization assetization |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20004214.2017.1400864 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emilyrosamond tosorttomatchandtoshareaddressivityinonlinedatingplatforms |