Love on-line:passion and power in the world of cyberculture

Abstract

: Love on-line: passion and power in the world of cyberculture — Based on a case study, this article summarizes and discusses how on-line dating services mediate personal conflicts and problems of relationships that emerge by subordinating them to the commoditized pro- tocols of social interactions occurring in the late 20th century. The first section of the article describes the phenomenon and makes some observations about it based on a review of the correspondence sent to a Brazilian version of the global site Match.com. The second section examines the issue in depth, situating it in relation to the broader principles of sociability. The last section makes an interpretative analysis of the topic, arguing that, despite its ap- parent irrelevance, it is in fact an excellent indication of some of the features of the power regimes that inform our cyberculture and that are reshaping the forms of sociability currently developing in this stage of the civilizing process.