ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents and organizes evolving rituals of adapting the self to the neoliberal web of networked, mobile, and digital technologies. It considers how online dating reproduces conventions of romantic courtship while also permitting these traditions to evolve within the nexus of networked love. Central to their conceptualization are aspects that frequently elude traditional forays into online dating, including the unpredictability of love; a questioning of whether we really should be searching for "the One"; and human playfulness vs. algorithmically organized interaction. The book discusses a deeply personal and intensely theoretical chapter about self-knowing and the intimacy, yet fleeting ambivalence of connection. It explores touch not only as a practice of love, but also as a demonstration of caring.
