Virtual-Boyfriends

Virtual-lover is a new form of paid affective experience service which comes into being based on the development of internet technology and social media websites.With the rise of Taobao,Wechat,Weibo and Baidu post bar and many other social network virtual-lover service is gradually increasing to a larger scale.The number of its employees,customers,shops and the diversity of platform are experiencing a dramatic change.Based on the theory of economies of affect,virtuality and internet culture,this research aims to explore how women conduct affect consuming and acquire intimacy experience through social network services,for example,Baidu post bar,Taobao and Wechat public accounts,by using the method of internet ethnography and participant observation.The present thesis is composed by six chapters.The first chapter introduces the research background and the research questions with summeries of relevant literatures.The second chapter explains the research methods of internet ethnography and the way to enter the field.The third chapter deals with the general situation,charging standard and content of the wechat public account which provides the service of virtual-lover,and discusses the consumption channels and motives of female consumers as well as their requirements for the service and affective experience of virtual-lover.The fourth chapter discusses the virtuality and authenticity of virtual-lover in the eyes of female consumers.The fifth chapter analyzes the economies of affect of virtual-lover and the labor value evaluation of female consumers on the service of virtual-lover.The sixth chapter examines the platforms,consumer demand and cross-platform publicity of virtual-lover service through network culture theory.In China,the research on women’s online affective consumption is still in a relatively poor state.Therefore,the research on female consumers in virtual-lover can not only supplement domestic theories on affect economy,but also deeply explore what changes have taken place in the intimate relationship,interaction mode and affective expression among people in China after the reform and opening up and various social changes.