Differences in Romanian Men\u27s Online Personals by Sexualities

As Internet usage increases, its ability to provide almost instant connections and to pre-screen potential partners has made it a popular source for meeting people. To contribute to current literature, we examine differences in content between 187 men seeking men and 193 men seeking women in a sample of Romanian (Bucharest) personals in 2007. Results show that men seeking women provide more information about themselves than men seeking men. While the results also show that some Romanian men are more open about expressing their sexualities than others, there are still many obstacles affecting how men choose to share and express their sexualities in Romania

Sociobiological Theory and Casual Encounters on Craigslist

Existing research on mating strategies in sociobiological theory focuses largely on long-term mating strategies, and has found differences in the behavior and preferences of men and women (see Wiederman 1993). The current study focused on short-term mating strategies by studying 1,724 hook-up advertisements from Craigslist.com for men seeking women and women seeking men to see if observed gender differences persist when the goal of mating is not reproduction. Results showed that while men’s mating strategies do not appear to differ based on the goal of mating, the behavior of women is inconsistent with sociobiological theory when the goal of mating is simply sex and not reproduction. Risk-taking behavior (contraceptive use, drug use, sexually transmitted infections) was also assessed for frequency. Repercussions for sociobiological theory are discussed, as well as limitations and suggestions for future research

Predicting someone\u27s true identity: Linguistic norms and cues in online personal advertisements

Internet dating is now ranked third as the way people meet, behind meeting at work or school, and through a friend or family member. This study researches the use of social and linguistic norms in online dating advertisements. Previous research has posed that social groups create unique identities and group members will selectively present themselves in ways consistent with these identities. Using Craigslist to assess the similarities and differences between genders and sexualities in online personal postings, an online quiz-like survey was created. This research reports on people\u27s abilities to predict the sexual orientation and gender of the writer based on linguistic cues

Online Manipulation: Hidden Influences in a Digital World

Privacy and surveillance scholars increasingly worry that data collectors can use the information they gather about our behaviors, preferences, interests, incomes, and so on to manipulate us. Yet what it means, exactly, to manipulate someone, and how we might systematically distinguish cases of manipulation from other forms of influence—such as persuasion and coercion—has not been thoroughly enough explored in light of the unprecedented capacities that information technologies and digital media enable. In this paper, we develop a definition of manipulation that addresses these enhanced capacities, investigate how information technologies facilitate manipulative practices, and describe the harms—to individuals and to social institutions—that flow from such practices. We use the term “online manipulation” to highlight the particular class of manipulative practices enabled by a broad range of information technologies. We argue that at its core, manipulation is hidden influence—the covert subversion of another person’s decision-making power. We argue that information technology, for a number of reasons, makes engaging in manipulative practices significantly easier, and it makes the effects of such practices potentially more deeply debilitating. And we argue that by subverting another person’s decision-making power, manipulation undermines his or her autonomy. Given that respect for individual autonomy is a bedrock principle of liberal democracy, the threat of online manipulation is a cause for grave concern

Social Media Advertising: The Persuasive and Invasive Fundamentals

Over the past century, consumption of commodities and material goods has drastically increased. Americans today appear to consume more than they ever did in the past. This poses the question, why? What has caused society to consume habitually? Many researchers have discussed the persuasive methods used in advertising and the psychology behind consumer behavior. These researchers have primarily focused on TV commercials and newspaper advertisements. However, research has yet to dive deep into social media\u27s role regarding conspicuous consumption. This thesis will explore how the fundamentals of social media have created the most persuasive advertising modality ever seen. This thesis will analyze social media and advertisements to explain how the rhetorical and technical elements influence consumer behavior. These elements include algorithms, social appeals, and consumer research. I will conduct content analysis on previous studies as well as analyze the frequency of advertisement within social media. Rhetorical analysis will be done to display the linguistic elements used to persuade. By doing this, I will draw conclusions on what factors within the social media and advertising industry impact consumer behavior. As social media has become extremely popular, it has evolved into a persuasive and invasive form of advertising that has led to more consumption of material goods than ever before

Two Case Examples of Reaching the Hard-to-Reach: Low Income Minority and LGBT Individuals

‘Hard-to-reach’ is a term primarily used by researchers to describe groups of people who have been historically difficult to find or contact. It is important for the public interest to include hard-to-reach groups in research because excluding certain sub-populations diminishes the ability to identify groups that potentially have the highest burden of illness and to develop an understanding of why group differences exist. Thus, the purposes of this paper are to: 1) describe the challenges in recruiting hard-to-reach population in two separate research studies; 2) discuss the strategies that were used to overcome those challenges; and 3) provide recommendations for researchers. This paper followed a case study research strategy, with the authors using two of their own research studies involving hard-to-reach populations as case studies. The research studies used in these case studies involved two different hard-to-reach groups—low-income ethnic minorities who were un- or under-insured and lesbian or bisexual women and transgender men. Two overarching themes were identified as barriers to reaching the population of interest: (1) gaining interest and (2) building trust. These themes add to the literature regarding the multi-prong approach that is needed to recruit members of hard-to-reach populations. Despite the authors having buy-in from stakeholders and a multi-prong recruiting approach, barriers to gaining the interest of potential participants included language in recruitment flyers, competing demands for time, and transportation to the data collection site. Building trust with interested study participants was also a large issue noted between both studies, especially concerning sensitive questions or cultural barriers regardless of the reliability and validity of the tools used in the study