The Outsourcing of Online Dating
Investigating the Lived Experiences of Online Dating Assistants Working in the Contemporary Gig Economy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2414219 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Annisa M P Rochadiat (0000-0002-0843-3893, California State University System), Stephanie Tom Tong (0000-0002-1612-4425, Wayne State University, corresponding author), Jeffrey T Hancock (0000-0001-5367-2677, Stanford University), Chloe Rose Stuart-Ulin (World Federation of Science Journalists) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2020-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Media + Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2056-3051 • E-ISSN: 2056-3051 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/2056305120957290 |
| OpenAlex | W3090997182 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 26 |
A small cottage industry emerging within the larger gig economy is online dating assistant (ODA) companies that allow paying clients to outsource the labor associated with online dating, including profile development, date selection and matching, and even interaction (i.e., ODAs assume their clients' identities to exchange messages with other [unsuspecting] daters to secure face-to-face dates). The newness of this industry presents an opportunity to investigate the lived experience of remote employees working in an up-and-coming virtual organization. Through interviews with six ODAs, we explored motivations, day-to-day workflow, and development of work identities. Analysis uncovered unique challenges ODAs faced when performing the 'human-based' tasks of online dating, which differed starkly from other popular services being bought and sold in the gig economy (e.g., rideshare, food delivery). Findings also show how ODAs engage in pragmatic and critical sensemaking as they navigate the specific challenges associated with ODA labor, and those created by remote work and gig labor, more generally
Business · Economics · Gig economy · Management · Outsourcing · Political science · Public relations · Sensemaking · Sociology · Workflow · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Engineering · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Sharing Economy and Platforms · Marketing
Hustle and Gig
Disintermediating your friends
Ghosting in Emerging Adults’ Romantic Relationships
The Rise of the 'Just-in-Time Workforce'
A multi‐dimensional measure of vocational identity status
Mediatization of Social Space and the Case of Uber Drivers
Uberworked and Underpaid
Online labour index
Informal communication of co‐workers
The cultural work of microwork
Trusted strangers
In the Meantime
Settling for less out of fear of being single
Sampling and Estimation in Hidden Populations Using Respondent-Driven Sampling
The politics of 'platforms
Flexibility in the gig economy
Platform labor
Precarious Lives
Gender in the gig economy
Good Gig, Bad Gig
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,75 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2025 (4) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |