Mobile Sexuality: Presentations of Young Filipinos in Dating Apps

Abstract

Mobile dating applications have become self-presentation spaces and stages among the youth. In the search for romance and sexual relationships, young Filipinos create and act out pre and co-constructed selves that enable them to find dating partners. Using the musings and experiences of 50 Filipino young adults who have been using dating apps to search for love or lust, the study found that created mobile/ online selves or faces reflect presentation strategies that include the show of sincerity, dramatic execution of the role, use of personal front, maintenance of control over the information, mystification, idealization, and misrepresentation. The study concludes that self-presentations range from the authentic to the inauthentic portrayal of the self to advance motives and intents in the use of dating apps.