The Great RomCon?
Stagione 1
Paying Attention: Are dating apps selling us short?
di Jim Clark
It is sometimes said that we now live in the 'attention' economy, where the real product being sold by free or freemium services is us: what we are looking at, watching and engaging with. We call it paying attention as we are giving something of ourselves to our subject. Contrary to popular belief, we are not good multi-taskers, so our attention is necessarily a limited resource. I wanted to look at what our seemingly increasing addiction to screens and online platforms has done to us when engaging in personal relationships. To help us explore this, I spoke to Dr Martin Graff from the University of South Wales about his work in social psychology, the psychology of relationships, and online interaction. Dr Graff’s research interests are in online relationships and interactions. Some of his publications include: ‘Effects of internet addiction scores on informational search by undergraduate students’ (2023), 'How can you persuade me online? The impact of goal-driven motivations on attention to online information' (2020) and 'Can time spent on Social Media Affect Thin-Ideal Internalisation, Objectified Body Consciousness and Exercise Motivation in Women? (2019), and ‘Tinder and location based dating’ (2017). He teaches a course at the university on ‘Virtual and parasocial relationships’. Produced by the Bloomsbury Institute in London.
Has the constant diet of schmatlz and heart-warming fairytales piped in from LA affected our romantic culture in the UK, and if so - is that a problem? I speak to film and TV screenwriter Emily Carlton about how the depiction of love and romance has changed on the silver screen and what effect this is having on relationships in the real world. We discuss how women and relationships on film have changed over the past 30 years: from the classic rom-coms of the 1990s, to the modern representations of 'Anora', 'Challengers' and 'Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy'. Emily references Nina Menkes's documentary 'Brainwashed', which explores the sexual politics of cinematic shot design and how male and female actors are treated differently by the camera. Emily mentions her work with 'Breaking Through The Lens', a non-profit initiative that advocates for gender equality in film by providing vital support at the financing stage. Their program is open to women and gender-expansive filmmakers, offering action grants, fiscal sponsorship, curated meetings and industry mentorship. They are taking applications, so do check in on their current projects in film. Produced by the Bloomsbury Institute in London.