Love is Prank

This thesis treats pranks as erotic acts. I intro- duce the idea of love pranks: planned distor- tions of reality designed not to humiliate but to intensify intimacy and emotional risk. They flirt with consent and power. Using Moira Marsh’s and Avgi Saketopoulou’s theory, I argue that love pranks function as a form of kink - structured ways of playing with vulnerabilities and desires.I write from experience. I analyse pranks I initiat- ed and pranks done to me, moments where intima- cy was accelerated, but also where sincerity col- lapsed into performance and left shame behind. I place these personal pranks next to contemporary dating culture as well as YouTube couple prank channels to show how pranks can affect intimacy.The thesis also examines prank logic in the public sphere through the symbolic gestures surrounding Luigi Mangione’s alleged attack, focusing on how humor and trickery make power visible. Across dating, content culture, and political acts, this thesis asks why pranks are hot or how do pranks expose the erotic dynamics of control and consent. keywords: prank, love, consent, erotic, control, internet, Bachelor Interactive Media Design