Author and Tinder Expert Alicia Eler
March 21, 2016
Welcome to Episode 25 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with author Alicia Eler.
“When everything is a yes/no, left or right, there’s no room for maybe or gray area; and that I think is where actually a lot of the real vulnerability or potential relationships or friendships can occur. But the app doesn’t lend any space or time to maybe.” (On Tinderization)
Today we speak with multi-talented artist and author Alicia Eler. We discuss Alicia’s recent essay The Tinderization of Feeling, which explores what Alicia calls the “emotional labor of Tinder.”
What might you find at the intersection of sexuality, gender studies, queer studies, and technology? At a minimum, you’ll find some of Alicia’s amazing work and collaborative writing, which explores social sexual dynamics.
Today Alicia discusses questions such as: How might persons on dating apps become players in a game; and, how might this dehumanization impact social relationships as well as our own psychology?
Also on this episode with Alicia: growing up as a writer; finding herself (and her major) at Oberlin College; learning to open up and share as a writer; being drawn to L.A. by Kate Durbin; and advice for up-and-coming artists.
Links and Honorable mentions from this episode:
- Alicia’s Site
- Alicia’s Instagram
- Alicia is @aliciaeler on Twitter
- What Color is Your Parachute? (Book)
- The Teen-Girl Tumblr Aesthetic (Essay)
- The Windy City Times
- How to Win Tinder (Essay)
- Lena Dunham
- Kate Durbin Tumblr
Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!
If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.
Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They’re very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.
Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.
Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.
The Credits
Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.
The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.
The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is “Bury You.” Go buy it on Soundcloud!
This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram
