This presentation introduces qualitative insights from ongoing research on post-romantic online relationships. Intimacy and co-presence are mediated almost entirely through digital platforms, while reconfiguring the absence of physical touch. Within post-romantic culture, technological developments play a central role in partner selection and the organization of intimate bonds. The present study focuses on the representations and practices of intimacy and co-presence dependent on digital media among Asian individuals, across diverse sexual and romantic orientations. Data were gathered through digital ethnography in Reddit communities focused on digitally mediated relationships. The corpus comprised 80 publications by self-identified Asian users or concerning Asian partners. Posts were reviewed, coded, and interpreted through the lens of the sociology of love and gender studies, with attention to emergent themes. This methodological approach proved effective given the niche characteristics of the group under study. It enabled an understanding of how digital media functions both as a medium for relationship formation and as an apparatus for meaning making around emotional bonds. Users engaged in online post-romantic relationships were predominantly located in the Philippines, India, Japan, Singapore, among other countries. Findings show that Asian individuals pursue online relationships to build intimacy with partners inaccessible locally due to their cultural background or sexual orientation. From their narratives, four central themes emerged: struggles with homophobia, inquiries into transnational mobility, the negotiation of linguistic differences, and hesitancy surrounding erotic practices. Asians’ online relationships reflect media’s role in shaping global forms of togetherness and intimacy, alongside the uncertainties of contemporary romantic culture.

Authors:
Kelvin Armando Monge Lopez, Autonomous Metropolitan University - Xochimilco Unit, Mexico

About the Presenter(s)
Kelvin Monge is currently a third year PhD student in Social Sciences at the Autonomous Metropolitan University, Xochimilco Unit (Mexico City). His thesis is focused on online post-romantic relationships.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelvin-monge-06b687318/

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kelvin-Monge

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