Sticky, Sexy, Sad

Lifelong luddite Treena Orchard was a newly sober woman coming off a much-needed break from relationships, reluctantly taking the digital plunge by downloading a dating app.

Instead of the fun, easy experiences advertised on swiping platforms, she discovered endless upkeep, ghosting, fleeting moments of sexual connection, and a steady flow of misogyny.

In Sticky, Sexy, Sad, Orchard uses her skills as both an anthropologist who studies sexuality and a sex-positive feminist to explore what it feels like to want love while also resisting the addictive pull of platforms designed to make us swipe-dependent.

She asks important questions for those searching for love in the modern era: What are the social and human impacts of using dating apps?

How can we maintain our integrity and warm-blooded desire for intimacy while swiping?

Can we resist some of the problematic aspects of swipe culture?

Is love on dating apps even possible?