| Date | Time | Room | Speaker | Affiliation | Synopsis | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
11/28/2018 | 6:00PM to 7:00PM | Grainger 1310: Plenary Room | See Synopsis | Pending | ||
| 04/23/2019 | 6:00PM to 7:00PM | Grainger 1310: Plenary Room | Evan Polman | Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison | See Synopsis | Pending |
Mobile Dating Apps and the Gamification of Entrepreneurialized Romance
Anil Isisag, Doctoral Student, Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Synopsis
How does a domain of social life that was once deemed outside the realm of the marketplace become marketized? In this study, I address this question by focusing on the marketization of romantic-sexual relationships in the context of mobile dating apps. My historical analysis demonstrates that rather than a one-off transition, marketization of romance transpires in stages and mobile dating apps facilitate the transition from the earlier model of entrepreneurialized romance (as exemplified by online dating) to the contemporary model of gamified romance. Based on semi-structured interviews with 25 mobile dating app users, I examine the implications of this transition for app users' romantic-sexual relationships.
As a second project based on the same data set, I investigate the positioning wars in the mobile dating apps market by focusing on how Bumble and Hinge utilize Tinder's bad reputation in their own branding efforts. Capitalizing on Tinder's image as a platform that fosters a sexist hook-up culture, Bumble ("the feminist app") and Hinge ("the relationship app") carved out unique market positions by presenting their brand as a remedy to Tinder's shortcomings. By explicating the process through which they make use of defamatory messages about Tinder to create their own branding story, I offer a step-by-step framework that marketing professionals can utilize in similar markets where emotional branding prevails.