Addicted to Digital Love

Digital Rights Explored: Local Fights, Global Perspectives

The founder of Tinder said: “Nobody joins Tinder because they’re looking for something.” “They join because they want to have fun. It doesn’t even matter if you match because swiping is so fun.” However in this episode we have examined how dating apps have revolutionised the world of dating and relationships. We explore with an anthropologist and expert on partner choice, sexology, dynamics of long-term relationships and relationship satisfaction - Jaroslava Varella Valentova - why dating apps are so popular in Brazil. We hear the personal testimonies of Jaroslava’s student, Bruno from São Paulo who has had a vast experience using dating apps and shares that at some point he was even addicted to them.
In the second part of the episode we talk to an expert in the digital, human centred design and a columnist for renowned Dutch newspaper Trouw. Ilyaz Nasrullah zooms in with us on what the inherent gamified design features are that make dating apps possibly addictive. And how is the business model behind dating apps correlated with their design?

This exploration of the digital world of love brings up a wider question to ponder on; how does digital design influence user’s behavior beyond the world of the online. Has meeting in person become a thing of our past?

Our expert speakers featured in this episode are:
Jaroslava Varella Valentova - Professor Doctor at the Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil
Bruno Henrique do Amaral - Ground story, Student of Psychology University of São Paulo (USP)
Ilyaz Nasrullah - Digital strategist and columnist on digitisation of Dutch newspaper Trouw

This episode was created by:
Host and editor: Alexandre Amaral
Producer: Ena Omerović
Co-producer: Jaroslava Varella Valentova
Consultant (partner Deutsche Welle Akademie): Hanna Hempel
This is a Podcast made by the Media and Information Literacy Expert Network (MILEN) with the support of Deutsche Welle Akademie (DW Akademie).

Contact us with questions, comments or your Stories on digital rights' violations at:
[e-mail]