Match by match, love goes viral

Abstract

This theoretical essay analyzes the new configurations of love and relationships in the digital age from a psychoanalytic perspective. Virtuality transforms human interactions, fostering new forms of bonding while also accentuating dynamics of idealization and frustration. Based on Freud’s conception of narcissism and Bauman’s concept of liquid love, the discussion explores how dating apps and social networks reinforce a consumerist logic in relationships, where individuals present themselves as commodities in search of validation and recognition. The analysis emphasizes how virtual space facilitates the creation of an "ideal self" that distances itself from the true self, intensifying the fragility of affective bonds. The relentless search for connections reflects the conflict between Eros and Thanatos, with the promise of immediate satisfaction often resulting in emptiness and anguish. Contemporary psychoanalytic authors contribute to understanding the complexity of love, highlighting its idealizations, expectations, and the impact of disillusionment. Psychoanalysis reveals that, despite technological transformations, the search for love remains marked by the subject’s incompleteness and need for recognition. The study concludes that the digital mediation of relationships expands both the possibilities and the challenges of emotional bonds, demanding a new interpretation of the psychic dynamics that shape affections and subjectivity in contemporary times.