My friend casually made the comment that "everything has to do with Economics." That got me thinking, assuming she was right, what is the relationship between romantic love and economics? After some casual contemplation and research, I have rounded up a few humble insights on how the economy has influenced our romantic activities in ways that seem either direct or indirect:
1. The Destigmatization of Online Dating:
Two pleasant looking college students(based on visual assumption) walked in the coffee shop I was studying in, hugged as they exchanged nice to meet you, then proceeded to the dining area downstairs. Based on the fact that they had first met and had both dressed nicely, I assumed that it was their first date after having met online, which reminded me how online dating became visibly more common--it's no longer a channel through which social pariahs and perverts finds their partners in crime, as so many stigmas around it implied.
What are the factors that contributed the increase of online dating users? My theory is that because of the recent economic decline, people have to put more time in working than they did before in order to earn the same income, the opportunity cost of working, aka the time they use to work which they would've used on doing something else like dating, increases. With incremented time cost for socializing, online dating became an efficient alternative to meet people. The decline in economy had also limited people's job options, which resulted in more people having to take jobs that involve lots of traveling and moving around; these people turn to online dating for quicker inclusion in a new environment. There are apps and websites designed to optimize efficiency, a good example being the Tinder, which in itself is an interesting phenomenon--that brings me to my second and third point:
2. Increasing Obsession with Physical Appearances:
Simply put, Tinder is an app that operates upon one simple concept: hot or not. If two users both decided that the other one is cute based on his/her photos, they're "matched" and enabled direct communication. The operation of the app feeds the mass' growing obsession on outward appearances--a result of the media's bombardment of impossible beauty standards. The media doesn't do that because they're a bunch of masochists: they do it because they know that intensified insecurities will lead to consumption. In other words, the media and advertisers profit from satiating our escalated desires to look better which ultimately translates into the desire to get laid.
3. Hookup Culture
Tinder is just one of the many manifestations of the popular hookup culture. The hookup culture is a weird phenomenon that somehow communicates that quantity is valued more than quality, and that the more asses we score, the more successful we appear to be. I believe the economy has many things to do with it. First, urbanization as a product of economic growth had brought people together--only on the surface. It is actually obvious that despite having to be around one another on public transportations and crummy apartment buildings, people isolate themselves, perhaps in an attempt to protect their invaded privacy. People as a collective became more indifferent and less emotional. Secondly, as people put more values into their careers, serious relationships became a hindrance until they're ready to find a marriage partner. The change of mindset is especially apparent in women. Lastly, consumer culture celebrates the idea to keep options open.
I'm aware that there's lack of backing for my theories, but it was an interesting process to draw them up and to reflect on the fact that our behaviors and decision-making, no matter how mundane they seem, are reciprocal with the social environment we live in.
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