IN3’s Communication Networks & Social Change (CNSC) research group is pleased to invite you to the Workshop «Gender roles and courtship scripts in dating apps: insights from Italy» given by Francesca Comunello, Full Professor in the Department of Communication and Social Research at the Sapienza University of Rome.
The seminar will be held, in hybrid format, on Wednesday 15 November at 11:00 h (CET) in Room 102 of the Research Hub (Building C).
Venue
Research Hub (Room 102)
Rambla del Poblenou, 154
08018 Barcelona
Espanya
When
15/11/2023 11.00h
Organized by
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, IN3's Communication Networks & Social Change (CNSC) research group
Program
Summary
In heterosexual contexts, dating (or courtship) scripts are strongly gendered, as they help to dictate and shape “appropriate” masculine and feminine roles that men and women may play in heterosexual romantic relationships’ (Albright & Carter, 2019, p. 13). Traditionally, dating scripts ascribe to men a greater interest in sex and a proactive role in initiating relationships (e.g., asking for a date, planning it and paying for it, initiating sexual contact, etc.); they ascribe to women a more passive and reactive role (e.g., being asked for a date, adopting a gatekeeping attitude toward sexual intercourse) and less interest in sex than in the emotional realm (Grauerholz & Serpe, 1985). While heterosexual dating scripts have been extensively studied, far less is known about dating scripts in non-heterosexual contexts.
What happens to (traditional) dating scripts today? Do interactions through dating apps change the way we deal with dating scripts? The session will explore the perception and negotiation of gender representations and scripts among Italian dating app users. More specifically, we will discuss the results of a research project, mainly focusing on heterosexual contexts, that highlighted how Italian users are aware of traditional gendered dating scripts. Even if they often recognize how those scripts ascribe to men and women stereotypical roles and attitudes, users’ negotiation with those scripts, in the context of dating app, does not lead to completely discard them. Affordances and constraints of dating apps shape user practices and influence the performance and ‘de-inscription’ of gender scripts, without directly fostering the adoption of alternative scripts. Furthermore, we will discuss work-in-progress research focusing on Italian (self-identifying as) women dating women. By establishing an explicit “dating” frame for their users, dating apps appear inconsistent with the “friendship” script, that was found as prevailing and preferred among women dating women (Zand and Rose, 2002). We will therefore discuss how women dating women negotiate with the prevailing courtship scripts, in the context of dating apps.
Francesca Comunello
Full Professor in the Department of Communication and Social Research, Sapienza University of Rome, where she teaches “Internet and social media studies” and “Gender and media studies”. Her research and publications focus on the intersections between digital technology and society, including ageing and digital communication, gender and ICT, social media in risk communication. Her work is published in high-impact Journals such as: New Media & Society, Information Communication & Society, Media Culture and Society, The Sociological Review, Ageing and Society, American Behavioral Scientist, Violence Against Women.