Between Phallus and Freedom:  An Ethnography on the Embodied Experiences of Tinder Users in Cape Town

1. Abstract

This paper forms part of my PhD thesis, which I am currently in the process of finalising. It engages with dating applications the likes of Tinder and gender roles within this social space. The research context is Cape Town, a mutlicultural city in its current post-colonial, post-apartheid state, in which sexuality has only in recent years become a topic that may be openly discussed in certain social environments. In the face of current protests against gender based violence after a spade of brutal rapes and murders, it is very important to carefully and with look at the nuanced ways in which relationships are initiated via technologies and how technologically mediated encounters are perceived and engaged with.