The presentation of self in the relationship apps: profile analysis in the Tinder of Brazil
Representation of the self; Performance; Tinder; Neoliberalism; Entrepreneurship.
Inspired by Erving Goffman's theory of self representation, this dissertation aims to discuss how performative identities are constructed in the relationship app Tinder, through the management of specific impressions in the search for loving and/or sexual partners. The creation of the profile is guided by a strategic manipulation in the construction of the self, and the user of the application must trust the clues given, when building the image according to what he believes to be an attractive personality. In the profile, identity is constructed as a form of self-advertisement. In this sense, the narrative discourses and images reveal culturally valued attributes, as well as the signs that represent love and sex in the specific socio-historical context of today. Based on theoretical conceptions about the intersection between capitalism, subjectivity and affections, it critically discusses how the presentation of the self on Tinder reflects the neoliberal ideals of performance, self-entrepreneurship and positivity, characterizing what we call the “performance subject”.