‘What if we don’t actually match?’ Exploring young people’s conceptualizations about the role of dating apps for identity and romantic relationships

In this study, I critically examined young people’s representations of digital dating, exploring beliefs about identity, relationships, and ‘genuine connection.’ With Tinder reporting 366 million users in 2022 and projections of 450 million by 2028 (Statista, 2024), digital dating remains central to contemporary relationships. For generations raised in an ‘always-on’ digital world, the boundaries between mediated and non-mediated interactions are increasingly blurred. This raises questions about how they conceptualize the relationship between embodied and digital identities and what implications […]

#YML24 Conference Impressions

We have summarized our personal impression of the interdisciplinary conference #YouthMediaLife 2024: Interdisciplinary Perspectives into Digital Practices, held from March 25, 2024 to March 28, 2024, at the University of Vienna. Susanne Reichl Lisza-Sophie Neumeier Georg Wendt It’s a peculiar feeling to bemoan a four-day event that, in its lead-up, drew much attention, demanded It’s a peculiar feeling to bemoan a four-day event that, in its lead-up, drew much attention, demanded lots of effort, and necessitated great care from […]

#YML21 Conference Impressions

Wir haben unsere persönlichen Eindrücke der interdisziplinären Konferenz #YouthMediaLife 2021, die vom 29.03.21 bis 01.04.21 auf einer digitalen Eventplattform abgehalten wurde, zusammengefasst. Lisza-Sophie Neumeier #YML21 Conference Report Ariane Manutscheri Amadea Brenner These days are all about challenges. And about making things work. Twelve hours after #YouthMediaLife 2021 became a material space in an immaterial world, frizzy clanks of ink being swept onto paper hover above a sheet of crinkled paper. My declared plan: telling a story that is not […]

Smartphones “In-Between” or: What Do Smartphones Have in Common With Doors?

This contribution was originally published by Suzana Jovicic on the Digital Ethnography Initiative (DEI), which was co-founded by Philipp Budka, Suzana Jovicic and Monika Palmberger, three researchers working at the University of Vienna’s Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology. It is Friday night in a youth centre on the outskirts of Vienna; the lights are dim, and loud local Rap music is blaring in the background. A girl sits alone on the old sofa, seemingly oblivious to the noise […]