A study of the mediatization of space and user experience of dating sites
Channel: Geomedia Conference 2023
Date: 17/10/2023

Dr. Santosh Kumar Patra, Associate Professor & Area Leader, Media and Entertainment Management (MEM), Head, Centre for Media and Entertainment Studies (CMES) Co-Chair, Fellow, at MICA in Ahmedabad, India, presented his paper at the 5th Geomedia Conference at Tampere University (Finland). The conference was organised by Tampere University and Karlstad University (Sweden). 

Santosh's paper codifies the knowledge of the reason for human contact through dating sites in India using the epistemological approach of objectivity, subjectivity, and non-presence rather than absence. Dating sites not only break the quiet of individuals' objective presence in order to match likeminded people for potential partnerships, but they also ensure physical non-presence for connecting with various people, self-expression, and investigating the prospects of a right match without much social baggage. Dating sites have an important function as mediated technology expressions, serving as beacons of hope for persons seeking an emotional gateway through digital media technologies while avoiding physical and social constraints. However, the employment of digital media technologies remains a difficulty in terms of the authenticity of identity and evil intent, which is fueled by the physical non-traceability of the character, resulting in the vulnerability of the space and character. The paper investigates the building of mediatization of space and the possibility of emotional escape through users of dating sites in India to comprehend the theoretical duality of physical presence and objective reality vs virtual non-presence and subjective reality.