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Gamification of Love: a Case Study of Tinder in Oslo Gamification of love: a case study of Tinder in Oslo Polyanna Rocha Det Humanistiske Fakultet IMK – Institutt for Medier og Kommunikasjon University of Oslo Spring 2018 Gamification of love: a case study of Tinder in Oslo Polyanna C Rocha Santos Nordic Media Program Det Humanistiske Fakultet IMK – Institutt for Medier og Kommunikasjon University of Oslo Spring 2018 © Polyanna C Rocha Santos 2018 Gamification of love: a case study of Tinder in Norway http://www.duo.uio.no/ Print: Reprosentralen, Universitetet i Oslo PREFACE This master’s thesis has been conducted at the Institute of Media and Communications - IMK, at the University of Oslo - UiO, SPRING semester 2018. It is the outcome of the MSc in Nordic Media. I thank my supervisor Anders Fagerjord for his careful supervision and patience during these semesters. I thank all participants for the insightful conversations and discussions. I also thank Maria Tårland, Student Consultant at IMK, who offered me a lot of help and support during my personal battle. I thank my classmates, in special Tina, Thanh and Angèlique, who I now happily call my friends, for their company over the last two and a half years. I also thank Bruninha, pelas palavras de apoio; Marcela, mesmo longe, se mantendo presente na minha vida e Pedro, pelos forninhos segurados nessa jornada. Tomas for all the support and encouragement at all times. Finally, I am happy and proud to be able to present what I feel is a strong and relevant thesis. I have worked hard to produce this original work, despite the difficulties. To my family in Brazil, agradeço por todo amor e carinho, mesmo que não façam ideia do que eu estudo. ABSTRACT Mobile dating applications have increased in popularity over recent years, with Tinder the first to break into the conventional online marketplace, bringing dating to the mobile sphere. This study examines how the Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics (MDA framework) on Tinder’s design impacts the user perception of this mobile application and how the application is gamified. It is also discusses how online environments offer individuals an increased ability to control their self-presentation, and, therefore, greater opportunities to engage in misrepresentation. This case study of Tinder paves the way for future investigation into its use as a game. Keywords: Tinder, Mobile dating application, Gamification, Play, Games, Computer- mediated-communication, Self-presentation, Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics. TABLE OF CONTENTS I INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Purpose of the study ....................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Objectives of the research and motivations ................................................................. 3 1.2.1 Relevance and contribution ..................................................................................... 4 1.2.2 Structure of the study............................................................................................... 4 1.2.3 Study Object ............................................................................................................. 5 II LITERATURE AND THEORY ......................................................................................... 8 2.1 History of dating on Internet ......................................................................................... 8 2.2 Mobile technology and mobile social media............................................................... 13 2.3 Brief history of gaming and mobile gaming ............................................................... 17 2.4 Gamification and play .................................................................................................. 19 2.5 Self-presentation and cues ........................................................................................... 25 2.6 MDA- Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics ............................................................. 28 III METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................... 32 3.1 Method Development ................................................................................................... 32 3.2 Sampling ........................................................................................................................ 35 3.3 Document Analysis ....................................................................................................... 35 3.4 Data Collection ............................................................................................................. 36 3.4.1 Semi-structured interviews .................................................................................... 36 3.4.2 Structured interviews ............................................................................................. 37 3.5 My own experiences: Participatory observation ....................................................... 38 3.6 Focus Group .................................................................................................................. 41 3.7 Ethical concerns ............................................................................................................ 41 3.8 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................ 44 IV ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................ 46 4.1 The MDA- Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics of Tinder .................................... 46 4.1.1 Mechanics ................................................................................................................ 46 4.1.2 Dynamics ................................................................................................................. 49 4.1.3 Aesthetics ................................................................................................................. 51 4.2 Social interactions on Tinder....................................................................................... 54 4.3 Interactions on Tinder as perceived by Tinder ......................................................... 57 4.4 Self-presentation and cues on Tinder ......................................................................... 62 4.5 Gamification on Tinder................................................................................................ 64 VI FINDINGS ......................................................................................................................... 67 5.1 Summary of Interviews ................................................................................................ 67 5.2 Summary of Focus Group ........................................................................................... 68 5.3 Themes ........................................................................................................................... 69 5.3.1 Thematic Analysis .................................................................................................. 71 5.3.1.1 Theme: Tinder .................................................................................................. 71 5.3.1.2 Theme: Self-presentation ................................................................................. 72 5.3.1.3 Theme: Gamification and playing .................................................................. 74 5.4 Summary of Interviews and Focus Group ................................................................. 76 5.5 Findings ......................................................................................................................... 77 5.5.1 Gamification of Love .............................................................................................. 77 VII CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 80 VIII REFERENCES............................................................................................................... 83 APPENDIX I ........................................................................................................................... 95 APPENDIX II ......................................................................................................................... 97 APPENDIX III ........................................................................................................................ 99 I INTRODUCTION There have never been more ways to communicate with one another than there are right now. Baym (2010: 1) The Internet has opened a new path for romantic interaction. Baym (2010) and Whitty (2013) have explained that social media has transformed the way people meet, interact and even live. New personal forms of communicating and connecting with others are often received with scepticism, until people start to see it as a new opportunity to interact with others. People were used to meeting their partners through proximity - through family and friends - but now meeting people through the Internet is surpassing every other form. Baym (2010) explains that in the middle of the 20th century, the telephone improved social interactions, helping people to feel closer more quickly, as a new form of personal connection. Through the introduction of the Internet, computers and mobile applications evolved this further. Baym (2010) points
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