The Function of Dating in a Posthuman World

I would start by researching and tracking relationship trends for as far back as I can get definitive answers. The idea is to analyze articles, youtube videos, dating websites, etc. to explore the status of dating nowadays (are we already living in a posthuman condition??) and what it potentially might look like in the future. There’s a new dating app in particular that is called “Ship” that I am especially interested in. The idea of the app is that you invite your friends onto the app (whether they’re single or not) to help you pick a date, with the idea being that your friends know you so well that they should be able to find you a suitable match. I propose that this app is arguably the posthuman condition of an arranged marriage and therefore suggest that the posthuman dating condition is a return to atiquated, simpler practices and consequently offering that humanity exists cyclically.

Ideas/examples I want to explore:

• Arranged Marriages
  • Primitive or beneficial
  • business transaction
• “Hook-up culture” of 60s & 70s
  • Birth control pill emerges
  • controlling fertility=posthuman action?
• OG “online” dating when sent in videotapes
• Online dating
  • Paying for membership
  • like paying in arranged marriage?
• Dating apps
  • Online identities
    • Catfishing
    • People who never meet in person
  • The new app “Ship”
    • The idea of it is that you invite friends to filter the dates on your profile for you
    • Is this not just an advanced form of an arranged relationship??–>is human advancement cyclical?
    • If you view arranged relationships as primitive then is the state of the posthuman a regression back to the primitive??

PART II

I am unsure about this direction of research, I feel that it might be branching too much/would be biting off more than I can chew. Let me know your thoughts. I basically categorized a posthuman world into 3 groupings based off of what I’ve experienced in posthuman texts: a chaotic world currently enduring some sort of catostrophic event (Apocalyptic), a world rebuilt after some huge event (Rebuilt Post-Apocalyptic), and a world with cyborgs/robots/technological enhancements (Non-Biological Bodies). This can be problematic, however, because I’m not an expert so creating my own categories is a bit risky, but basically, I’m questioning if the availabilty of resources (or the lack thereof) affects who you choose as a mate. I also dive into fertility a bit and question if the pressure of repopulating can define a posthuman world while also asking can no human exist on their own? For this part, I examine movies (Book of Eli, Mad Max, Children of Men), books (Never Let Me Go, Oryx and Crake), and television (Walking Dead, Black Mirror).

• Does the state of the posthuman world affect dating?
  • Apocalyptic
    • Walking Dead–take what you can get
  • Rebuilt Post Apocalyptic
    • Book of Eli–forced
    • Mad Max–forced
  • Non-Biological Bodies
    • Oryx and Crake–preprogrammed, no love
    • Never Let Me Go–preprogrammed
    • Black Mirror–predetermined
  • Does the availability of resources affect romantic pairing?
    • Perhaps it’s the last thing on your mind
    • Obligation to repopulate
• Does the posthuman relationship depend on repopulation if the posthuman world has endured some sort of catastrophic event?
  • Can’t repopulate with robots
  • Children of Men
  • Can no one exist on their own or do we need to pair off?