Non-relationships: Conceptualising Bauman’s Liquid Love in the form of Dating Apps

Abstract

Dating applications (“apps”) are a new way that people today can meet strangers in their search for potential marriage partners Marriage may not have the same tangible rewards as it used to in the past, but marriage aspirations and the pursuit of intimate romantic relationships continues to persist today. Having said that, emerging adults are actively seeking out romantic connections that may not necessarily be directed towards lasting commitment, termed “liquid love”. While seemingly contradictory, I propose a scenario where the pursuit of “liquid love” and marriage aspirations can be reconciled. I argue that the phenomenon of liquid love has arisen precisely because of the persisting strength of marriage today. As marriage has become more emotionally satisfying, it has also become less stable. To mitigate against the risks of an unsuccessful marriage, emerging adults enter into exploratory “non-relationships”. Non-relationships’ exploratory nature provides a flexible framework no longer subject to previous institutionalised norms, within which emerging adults exercise agency through their responses to these very schemas.