Love & Relationships in The Digital Era
Location
King Building 121
Document Type
Presentation
Start Date
4-27-2019 7:00 PM
End Date
4-27-2019 8:00 PM
Abstract
We live in a world dominated by technology. In this environment, how have relationships and love been affected? The purpose of this research is to examine the possibility of maintaining meaningful connections and ultimately love, in a society saturated with dating applications and accessible pornography. The two themes driving this argument are the “emotional” and the “physical”. The former will be considered through an in-depth exploration of what constitutes an authentic relationship through the lens of Existentialist philosophy, further articulated by contemporary philosophers from A. Ben-Ze’ev to Alain de Botton to W. Helm. The latter is articulated through an analysis of Austin’s speech act framework of locutionary and illocutionary acts as applied to pornography. My findings ultimately sustain the claim that technology has affected the way we love and engage in relationships by promoting power imbalances and through a constant perpetuation of identity delusions.
Keywords:
Relationships, Love, Social Media, Dating Apps, Tinder, Connection
Recommended Citation
Roman, Alexandra, "Love & Relationships in The Digital Era" (04/27/19). Senior Symposium. 1.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/seniorsymp/2019/panel_25/1
Major
Philosophy; Studio Art
Advisor(s)
Martin Thomson-Jones, Philosophy
Sarah Schuster, Studio Art
Project Mentor(s)
Todd Ganson, Philosophy
April 2019
Love & Relationships in The Digital Era
King Building 121
We live in a world dominated by technology. In this environment, how have relationships and love been affected? The purpose of this research is to examine the possibility of maintaining meaningful connections and ultimately love, in a society saturated with dating applications and accessible pornography. The two themes driving this argument are the “emotional” and the “physical”. The former will be considered through an in-depth exploration of what constitutes an authentic relationship through the lens of Existentialist philosophy, further articulated by contemporary philosophers from A. Ben-Ze’ev to Alain de Botton to W. Helm. The latter is articulated through an analysis of Austin’s speech act framework of locutionary and illocutionary acts as applied to pornography. My findings ultimately sustain the claim that technology has affected the way we love and engage in relationships by promoting power imbalances and through a constant perpetuation of identity delusions.
Notes
FEATURED PRESENTATION
Session VIII, Panel 25 - Relational | Morality
Moderator: Todd Ganson, Professor of Philosophy