Titles

Cold Intimacies in China: Matchmaking, Dating Apps, and the Commodification of Love From Matchmakers to Algorithms: Intimacy, Commodification, and Social Pressure in Contemporary China Love as a Marketplace: Dating Apps and Matchmaking in China

Vague Outline (Listing every possibility)

• Chinese Matchmaking Context
• Commodification: Profile, Label
• Historical Evolution
  • Matchmaking through woman matchmaker (blind date or no date)
    • fate/destiny based on birth time horoscope
  • **Shanghai Marriage Market,** People's Park blind date corner
  • TV Dating Shows
    • Ex: 非诚勿扰 (women vs one man)
    • Ex: 新相亲大会 (woman vs man’s relatives/friends)

Dating App (Interview!)

• Motivation
  • Friendship
  • Intimacy
  • Sexual Needs
  • Marriage
    • Family Pressure
      • Filial Piety
      • Carry on the family line
    • Social Pressure
      • 剩女 Sheng Nü, Leftover women
• Algorithm
  • Label
• Different Dating Apps
• Different Gender Perspective
  • Difficulty of matching
• Preference
  • Height
  • Appearance
  • Education Background
  • Family
  • Economy
• Cold Intimacies
  • Emotional Capitalism
    • love, intimacy, self-worth
    • structured and commodified through markets, consumption, and technology
  • Cold Intimacies
    • rationalized, standardized, and transactional
  • Technology and Market Logics
    • Quantifiable: income, education, height, photos, labels.
    • Comparable: swiping through profiles as though comparing products.
    • Replaceable: relationships can be easily abandoned or substituted.
  • Therapeutic Culture
    • a task - “working on a relationship,” “improving communication,” “self-care after a breakup.”
  • Paradox
    • warm intimacy vs. cold systems

Interview Question (Order? How many? Poll? )

1. Why did you first start using dating apps? (friendship, intimacy, marriage, curiosity, etc.) Did the motivation change?
2. Which app(s) do you use(Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Tantan), and why those in particular? Do you feel different apps attract different types of people?
3. Do you think dating apps are your main way of meeting new people now? Why or why not?
4. What do you pay attention to most when swiping? (appearance, education, career, personality, etc.)
5. What will you do when you swipe someone? Will you comment? Will you superswipe?