The Road to Her

Dating Technology

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Social interaction has been irrevocably changed by our digital culture

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Omnipresent new technologies such as Facebook lure us toward increasing superficial connections

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Facebook puts the pursuit of happiness front and center in our digital life1

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“These days, insecure in our relationships and anxious about intimacy, we look to technology for ways to be in relationships”2

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Different dating cultures have emerged, depending on the digital apps intended uses and purposes

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Digital dating culture was shifted once tinder’s hot or not selection process came into being

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Tinder eliminated the need for long and awkward dating profiles on websites like match.com and replaced them with strictly photo’s forming their own culture of speed and productivity

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Apps are now being deployed to enhance relationships.

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Developers started making new kinds of “dating” apps that didn’t just make the connection for couples but started to actually maintain the relationship.

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While relationship apps can be helpful some concerns have been raised regarding partners hiding behind apps in order to remain distant.3

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“It’s ironic that people are using an app for conflict resolution because part of the nature of conflict resolution is communication, and so much of communication between human beings in non-verbal and requires face-to-face interaction”3

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Some apps, even if not designed for dating purposes have become a fixture in relationships because they provide convenient ways of staying connected

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Examples of this are shown through couples texting, snap chatting, Skyping, and Facetiming each other. Relationships can exist without even being in each others presence.

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Today it is not uncommon for couples to text their partner when they are home together. A study of 1,428 adults showed that 25% had done so.3 Photo  by:  Canvan  Images  (Flickr)  

Digital connectivity eliminates the need to be in the physical presence of one another, raises the question if the next stage of digital dating will involve artificial intelligence.

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The film “Her” depicts a situation where a man develops a relationship with a sophisticated operating system that has a female voice and personality.

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The operating system “Samantha” is compliant, supportive, always available, and undemanding. She creates a perfect partner for Theodore.

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The development of relationship management apps that send affectionate reinforcement messages are indicators of the trend towards artificiality in the digital culture.

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The potential exists through technology and profiling to develop the ideal “surrogate partner” for an individual – The Arrival of Her.

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Sources Is Facebook Making us Lonely? Stephen Marche. The Atlantic. 2012.1 Alone Together. Sherry Turkle. 2011.2

After Online Dating, Online Making Up. Abby Ellin. 20143 Personal Relationships: On & Off the Internet. Jeffrey Boase & Barry Williamson. Cambridge University Press. 2006. Love Machines. George Zarkadakis. AEON Magazines. 2013. An AI Pal that is Better than “Her”. George Egan. MIT Technology review. 2014 Could “Her” Happen to You? Lawrence Cruz. The Network-Cisco’s Technology News site. 2014 Developing Personal & Emotional Relationship via Computer-Mediated Communication. Brittney Chenault. CMC Magazine. 1998.