San Francisco and The New Economy Of Desire

Based on extensive research and in an ethnographic incursion of seven months in San Francisco, this paper discusses the relations between new forms of work and leisure, the changing urban occupation, technology development and how they shape the search for love/sex partners. Despite the apparent universality of technology it is intrinsically connected to the cultural reality in which it is created. Because of the concentration of tech industries, start up companies and research centers, San Francisco
and its region is a privileged site to explore the interconnections between economic changes, gentrification and the use of mobile digital media. Its local life also allows a clearer comprehension of the rising of a new economy of desire marked by phenomena like the consolidation of the hook up culture, the decadence of monogamy and a rising new morality concerning love and sexual relations. Based on sexuality studies, sources on urban gentrification, and digital media investigations this
paper aims to provide an initial analysis about the growing use of apps on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets in search of love and/or sexual partners. One of the main arguments is that this new economy of desire has also created a new sexual ethic and is changing moral patterns about monogamy and partnership. Research Sponsor: FAPESP (The State of São Paulo Research Foundation)