It's Not Just In Your Head #86: The Gamification of Relationships (ft. Alfie Bown)
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Apr 27, 2022 In this conversation, Alfie Bown, a digital media lecturer and journalist, dives into his new book, 'Dream Lovers: The Gamification of Relationships.' He explores how technology shapes our emotional needs and desires. The discussion reveals the complexities of modern romance, where love may hinge more on platforms than people. Bown critiques the commodification of desire through dating apps and financial behavior, while also contemplating how societal forces impact personal connections and the potential for technology to foster a more equitable society.
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Platforms Replace Relationship Functions
- Alfie Bown argues relationships' functions can be outsourced to networks of platforms and algorithms.
- This substitution reshapes emotional roles without producing a sci-fi robot lover.
The App Can Become The Object Of Desire
- Social platforms sometimes matter more than the person they connect you with.
- Tech can replace an object of desire by structuring how and who we desire.
Capitalism Sells Fulfillment, Desire Prefers Lack
- Capitalism markets fulfillment while psychoanalysis argues desire must remain unfulfilled.
- The system sustains desire by promising completion it never truly delivers.
