IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT AND FORMATION IN ONLINE DATING SYSTEMS

Online dating systems are used by millions of people every year to find a romantic partner, yet many of these users report feeling frustrated by the online dating process. This paper presents an interview study in-progress of online dating system use. Findings from 35 users of a popular online dating system in the United States indicate that, contrary to previous research, users typically do not want to deceive their communication partners in order to appear more attractive. Rather, they try to convey the positive attributes they already possess through private communication methods such as site-native e-mailing. Participants also indicate that primary frustrations with online dating stem from not knowing how other daters are interpreting them and why their conversations end abruptly. These findings suggest that some of the misrepresentation found in prior work may actually be unintentional misinterpretation. Together these findings call for additional feedback mechanisms in the design of online dating systems to inform users about their conveyed impressions

Is Virtual Marriage Acceptable? A Psychological Study Investigating The Role of Ambiguity Tolerance and Intimacy Illusion in Online Dating among Adolescents and Early Adults

Marriage is one of the most important topics in the education field since life in this world is structured by interaction among families and between families and other social institutions. Dissatisfaction and unsustainability of marriage have led the urgency of premarital education in various countries. The problem is that the spread of virtual reality has made marriage itself to become more complex and experience reinterpretation and reconfiguration, moreover with the emergence of new kind of marriage in the digital era, i.e. virtual marriage. Everybody who has observed, known, or even tried, certainly asks the question, “Could (or: should) I accept virtual marriage?” . This study was aimed to investigate the role of tolerance of ambiguity and illusion of intimacy in online dating in predicting the acceptance of virtual marriage. There were 420 adolescents and young adults (212 males, 208 females; Mage=21.10 years old, SDage=1.459 years; 338 students, 82 employees or entrepreneurs) in the Greater Jakarta, Indonesia, participated in this study. It was found that the acceptance was not predicted by the ambiguity tolerance, but by the illusion of intimacy in online dating. The psychometric issues, substantive discussion, and recommendation are presented at the end of this article. The trend of virtual marriage should not be allowed to roll away, by autopilot, without loaded by strategies in designing an online game as one of the pivotal educational technologies that needs to shape appropriate character and attitude for it

Supporting user evaluation of messaging interactions with potential romantic partners discovered online

Online dating systems have transformed the way people pursue romance. To arrive at a decision to meet for a face-to-face date, users gather information about each other online pertinent to romantic attraction. Yet sometimes they discover on the date that they made the wrong choice. One aspect of online dating system-use that may be a contributing factor, but is largely overlooked in the literature, is interaction through text-based messaging interfaces. This dissertation explores how messaging interactions inform face-to-face meeting decisions through two qualitative studies, and explores through a mixed methods field study how innovative messaging interfaces that embody theory from marriage literature can help users predict enjoyment of face-to-face interactions. Two qualitative studies of users of the online dating system OkCupid (n=41) and professional online dating coaches (n=35) indicate that users may have difficulty foreseeing unenjoyable face-to-face interactions because some users behave in ways during messaging interactions that differ from subsequent face-to-face interactions. Typical approaches to messaging resembled auditions in which female users hastily reject men whose messages are not immediately appealing, and male users compete for female attention with prewritten or carefully crafted message content. Theories of relationship satisfaction are used to propose new ways that messaging interfaces could support online daters. Models of marital satisfaction posit that problem-solving discussions (i.e., interactions in which partners are prompted to discuss a disagreement of opinion) are conducive to expression of attraction-relevant traits (e.g., personality). If this theory extends to potential romantic partners, messaging interfaces that prompt online daters with problem-solving discussion topics may yield interactions online that are similarly enjoyable to future, in-person interactions in which the richer, face-to-face context inherently supports signaling of attraction-relevant traits. A messaging interface prototype is designed based on the concept of problem-solving discussions and assessed alongside a standard, open messaging interface through a mixed methods field study (n=85). Results indicate that prompting users to discuss topics that they disagreed on does not help them make better face-to-face meeting decisions. Female daters are uncomfortable with an emphasis on disagreements because of anticipated arguments and men are indifferent to the interface because they seek signals of attraction more so than compatibility. However, female users\u27 decisions to meet face-to-face do benefit from a messaging interface that prompts users to discuss topics that they agreed on. In contrast, men\u27s decisions to meet face-to-face are worsened by the same prompted-agreement interface due to misinterpreting an emphasized agreement as a signal of attraction from women. Together, results suggest that a redesigned topic-prompted messaging interface should clarify to users that an emphasized (dis)agreement of opinion is not intended to incite an argument or insinuate attraction. A broader design implication includes acknowledging that users prioritize signals of compatibility and attraction differently and customizing messaging interface components to highlight information pertinent to users\u27 varying needs

Literature Overview - Privacy in Online Social Networks

In recent years, Online Social Networks (OSNs) have become an important\ud part of daily life for many. Users build explicit networks to represent their\ud social relationships, either existing or new. Users also often upload and share a plethora of information related to their personal lives. The potential privacy risks of such behavior are often underestimated or ignored. For example, users often disclose personal information to a larger audience than intended. Users may even post information about others without their consent. A lack of experience and awareness in users, as well as proper tools and design of the OSNs, perpetuate the situation. This paper aims to provide insight into such privacy issues and looks at OSNs, their associated privacy risks, and existing research into solutions. The final goal is to help identify the research directions for the Kindred Spirits project

Digital Deception in the Online Dating Space: A Study of Tinder

As technology continues to impart its worldview, the role of communication in the navigation of dating in online spaces has also evolved. This study examines the relationship between communication and digital deception within a selected population of Tinder users. Tinder is a geo-social, location-aware dating application that is used by millions of people around the world. There are three fundamentally specific objectives of this research, which include: first, examining the ways in which dating apps increase the possibility of digital deception; second, exploring ways in which Tinder\u27s design and functionality contribute to the occurrence of digital deception; and finally, identifying and examining the impacts of online deception, particularly in the context of dating apps, on human communication and relationship formation. To obtain first-hand perceptions of online representation and digital deception on Tinder (and as with other online social platforms), 51 Tinder users from Nigeria and Canada were surveyed through their responses to a questionnaire distributed on June 20 and July 11, 2023. The findings of this study suggest that the use of dating apps among youths has increased, leading to prevalent lying and distrust. In the context of using Tinder among the sampled population, Tinder\u27s design, functionality, and online communication in general facilitate and contribute to instances of digital deception, as its affordances only give room to do little, hence, there is often an attempt to ‘put best foot forward’ and the tendency of lying becomes imminent. Appearance influences deception, but some still trust online dating for meaningful connections; platforms should promote honesty

Gay men, Gaydar and the commodification of difference

Purpose To investigate ICT mediated inclusion and exclusion in terms of sexuality through a study of a commercial social networking website for gay men Design/methodology/approach The paper uses an approach based on technological inscription and the commodification of difference to study Gaydar, a commercial social networking site. Findings Through the activities, events and interactions offered by Gaydar, we identify a series of contrasting identity constructions and market segmentations which are constructed through the cyclic commodification of difference. These are fuelled by a particular series of meanings attached to gay male sexualities which serve to keep gay men positioned as a niche market. Research limitations/implications The research centres on the study of one, albeit widely used, website with a very specific set of purposes. The study offers a model for future research on sexuality and ICTs. Originality/value This study places sexuality centre stage in an ICT mediated environment and provides insights into the contemporary phenomenon of social networking. As a sexualized object, Gaydar presents a semiosis of politicized messages that question heteronormativity while simultaneously contributing to the definition of an increasingly globalized, commercialized and monolithic form of gay male sexuality defined against ICT

A Functional Approach to Social Networking Sites

The widespread use of social networking websites (SNSs) is one of the most groundbreaking communication trends to emerge in recent years. Since its creation in 2004, sites such as Facebook have become immensely popular among college students. Many SNSs continue to experience exponential growth. Facebook, for example, reached 100 million active users in August 2008 and proceeded to quadruple this membership base to surpass 400 million active users by July 2010 (Facebook.com). In addition to maintaining astronomically high membership rates, SNSs also appear to be part of user\u27s daily schedules. In one study assessing Facebook use, Ellison, Heino, and Gibbs (2006) found that participants reported using the site an average of 10 to 30 minutes each day, with 21% of participants spending more than an hour on the site every day. As a result, high membership and usage rates suggest SNSs hold significant power as a relational and social tool for users