Jagged Love: Narratives of Romance on Dating Apps during COVID-19

Abstract

The romance plot is one of the most pervasive narratives in Western society. It is a cultural masterplot: a story with which almost everyone is familiar, which can deeply and intrinsically shape the way we think about how we live. This article examines how people interact with the romance masterplot and how it affects their search for love on dating apps in Australia during the global pandemic in 2020. Using data drawn from interviews and focus groups, and combining sociological research and narrative theory, we explore the way the romance masterplot affects the way people approach romance in dating apps, and how this has been complicated by the pandemic. We propose that participants use of dating apps in this period was characterised by 'jagged love', which we have theorised in relation to Zygmunt Bauman's notion of 'liquid love'. This manifested cyclically, as participants turned to the apps seeking the security offered by the romance masterplot in a time of global uncertainty; swiped, matched, and messaged in large numbers, and lost faith in the apps ability to deliver on the romantic masterplot. While episodic behaviour on dating apps is not new, the pandemic heightened and accelerated the process as people desperately sought the certainty offered by the romance masterplot, quickly lost faith because of the limitations of the pandemic, and then returned again.

Baked bunnies, couple selfies, and video-call gardening

“…In fact, our results suggest that couples who do not yet have an established communication repertoire need to negotiate a "communication rhythm" as they cannot rely on an established set of communication practices. Similarly, research findings on dating during COVID-19 emphasize the difficulties in initiating couple relationships during the pandemic (Duguay et al, 2022;Myles et al, 2021;Portolan & McAlister, 2022). With respect to visual communication, this study supports the argument that visuals need to be examined within the practices in which they are embedded.…”

Workplace infection control measures and romantic activities of workers during COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study in Japan

“…Third, it is not clear how participants found their romantic partners, whether at parties, or by social networking applications, for example. It is possible that social networking activities have become more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, [20][21][22] but any impact on this study remains unknown.…”

‘When you delete Tinder it’s a sign of commitment’: leaving dating apps and the reproduction of romantic, monogamous relationship practices

“…For the majority of participants, regardless of age, gender or sexual identity, the ideal relationship being sought and/or found was constituted as amorous, romantic, monogamous and ideally lifelong. Some studies have similarly found that traditional discourses of romantic love have been incorporated into dating app practices rather than being eroded (Hobbs et al, 2017;Palmer, 2020;Portolan & McAlister, 2022).…”

“…The studies above (Hobbs et al, 2017;Portolan & McAlister, 2022;Van Hooff, 2020) focused on their participants' current use of dating apps. Hobbs et al asked questions about participants' expectations of use and sexual activity (2017, p. 276), and Portolan and McAlister asked about their participants' 'usage practices, personal presentation on app, expectations and desires ' (2022, p. 362).…”