Simmel’s Reification in the Digital Era: The Commodification of Emotional Relationships in Rent-a-Partner Services on Social Media

Authors

• Juliana Pramesti, University of IndonesiaFollow

Abstract

This study examines the commodification of emotional relationships in Indonesia through the rise of “rent-a-partner” services on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Existing scholarship on digital intimacy has largely focused on Western and East Asian contexts, particularly dating applications, offering limited insight into how commodified intimacy operates in non-Western settings shaped by distinct socio-cultural and moral frameworks. Addressing this gap, the study draws on Georg Simmel’s concept of reification to analyze how emotional intimacy is transformed into purchasable service packages within platform-mediated environments. Using a qualitative approach that combines netnographic observation and in-depth interviews, the study demonstrates that emotional interaction is systematically organized through pricing structures, performative emotional labor, and platform-driven visibility. Platform algorithms not only facilitate but actively shape these services by amplifying emotionally engaging content, aligning affective expression with both market logics as well as socio-cultural expectations, including the management of singlehood stigma and adherence to religious norms. The findings reveal that commodified intimacy is characterized by a persistent tension between authenticity and performativity, where emotional expressions are strategically enacted yet experienced as meaningful. The article thus advances the concept of “moralized commodification,” arguing that reification is negotiated through moral and cultural frameworks rather than driven solely by economic rationality.

Abstrak

Artikel ini mengkaji komodifikasi hubungan emosional di Indonesia melalui layanan sewa pasangan (rent-a-partner) di platform media sosial seperti Instagram dan TikTok. Meskipun kajian sebelumnya telah banyak membahas keintiman digital dalam konteks Barat dan Asia Timur—terutama yang berfokus pada aplikasi kencan—masih terbatas perhatian terhadap bagaimana keintiman yang terkomodifikasi beroperasi dalam konteks non-Barat yang ditandai oleh pertemuan antara kapitalisme digital dan kerangka sosialbudaya serta moral yang kuat. Untuk mengisi celah tersebut, penelitian ini menggunakan konsep reifikasi dari Simmel untuk menganalisis bagaimana keintiman emosional ditransformasikan menjadi paket layanan yang terstruktur dan dapat diperjualbelikan dalam lingkungan yang dimediasi oleh platform. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif yang menggabungkan netnografi dan wawancara mendalam, penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa interaksi emosional diorganisasikan secara sistematis melalui struktur harga, kerja emosional yang bersifat performatif, serta visibilitas yang didorong oleh platform. Algoritma platform tidak hanya memfasilitasi, tetapi juga secara aktif membentuk layanan ini dengan memperkuat konten yang emosional, sehingga menyelaraskan ekspresi afektif dengan logika pasar sekaligus ekspektasi sosial-budaya, termasuk pengelolaan stigma lajang dan kepatuhan terhadap norma religius. Temuan penelitian menunjukkan bahwa keintiman yang terkomodifikasi ditandai oleh ketegangan yang terus-menerus antara autentisitas dan performativitas, di mana ekspresi emosional secara strategis diperankan namun tetap dialami sebagai bermakna. Artikel ini dengan demikian mengajukan konsep “komodifikasi yang dimoralisasi”, dengan berargumen bahwa reifikasi dinegosiasikan melalui kerangka moral dan kultural, bukan semata-mata didorong oleh rasionalitas ekonomi.

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Recommended Citation

Pramesti, Juliana (2025) "Simmel’s Reification in the Digital Era: The Commodification of Emotional Relationships in Rent-a-Partner Services on Social Media," Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi: Vol. 30: No. 2, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7454/MJS.v30i2.13586
Available at: https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/mjs/vol30/iss2/1