The imperative of images: construction of affinities through the cuse of digital media

Abstract

Based upon ethnographic research conducted in relationship sites and applications used by people seeking affective/sexual relationships, the present article analyzes how digital media has been incorporated into the daily lives of heterosexual women aged 35-48, understood to be "independent" and "middle class" and residing in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Autonomy, liberty and affinity are recurrent terms in the narratives of these women, leading us to questions regarding what is involved in their choice of partners whose affinities are described in terms of their similarities with the women's levels of social and cultural capital. These affinities are initially perceived through the digital circulation of photos, which are read not only according to the physical appearance of their subjects, but also according to their surroundings -objects and landscapes -which provoke the imagination with regards to the subjects' "lifestyles". Looking at the play of these new dynamics, I seek to understand how differences (in terms of class, generation, race/color, localization, etc.) operate in women's selection of partners.

Mídia e comportamento alimentar na adolescência

“…The technological revolution has completely changed how information is obtained, the types of communication and even the way people live together. The study developed by Beleli (2015) discusses the importance that the image assumed in this new context in which affinities are initially perceived through the circulation of photos, influencing the selection and choice of partners. For her, having a state-of-the-art mobile phone not only inserts the individuals in modern imaginations but also gives them a certain power over information, including as content producers, enabling the expansion of the circulation of various moralities.…”

A pornificação do corpo masculino: notas sobre o imperativo das imagens na busca entre homens por parceiros on-line

“…Ainda que com o predomínio textual, seria severo afirmar que o corpo não importava nesse contexto, já que nas interações em salas de bate-papo -recurso de procura por potenciais parceiros mais utilizado no início da comercialização da internet -eram frequentes perguntas como peso, altura, prática sexual, entre os homens que buscavam outros homens como critério para o encontro face a face (Miskolci, 2017). Posteriormente, com o advento do scanner e, mais tarde, da webcam -elementos que marcam a web 2.0 2 -a imagem, juntamente com ela a exigência cada vez maior de uma convergência identitária, 3 passou a ser um critério imperativo (Beleli, 2015), ainda mais em plataformas em que se buscam possíveis parcerias sexuais e afetivas, nas quais mais do que considerar apenas o que está escrito, a imagem passa a ser o elemento crucial para a atração ou distração de possíveis parceiros/as.…”

Por amor, por dinheiro? Trabalho (re)produtivo, trabalho sexual e a transformação da mão de obra feminina

“…Therefore, as "beer is necessary for the reproduction of the working class in England, just as wine is in France" (Marx, apud Rubin, 1993:4), a certain level of access to sexual relations is necessary for reproduction of the proletariat almost everywhere in the world. The "boom" of the last 40 years of sexual services and products aimed at women (the sale of erotic products and the presentation of these as a form of self-care [Gregori, 2013]; romantic trips to tropical destinations to create sexual encounters [Beleli, 2015]) indicate that this need is not only male and that it is also growing among women. and productive.…”