The techniques and aesthetics of love in the age of big data

Abstract

The nexus between love and digitization has become a significant matter of concern in contemporary society. On the one hand, the romantic subject has never had more help at hand to seek out love through apps and platforms. On the other, hand, these very same aids are claimed to signal the end of romantic love. While there is much debate on whether or not digitization and love are incompatible systems, and much time has been devoted to exploring the new technical devices and their methods, little attention has been given to the other part of the equation: namely what we mean by love. Instead, love is taken for granted in these discussions as a stabilized, if not stabilizing, entity. This special issue unsettles this focus, by exploring not only the effects of new technologies and big data methods on amorous love, but also what we mean when we talk about love. Co-authored introduction in The Journal of Aesthetics and Culture. A special edition that I co-authored entitled The Techniques and Aesthetics of Love in the Age of Big Data