Sex Talk: Designing for Sexual Health with Adolescents

In this paper, we describe a user-centred design process, where we engaged with 58 adolescents over an 18-month period to design and evaluate a multiplayer mobile game which prompts peer-led interactions around sex and sexuality. Engagement with our design process, and response to our game, has been enthusiastic, highlighting the rich opportunities for HCI to contribute constructively to how HCI may contribute to sexual health in adolescents. Based on our experiences we discuss three lessons learnt: lightweight digital approaches can be extremely successful at facilitating talk among young people about sex; sharing control of the conversation between all stakeholders is a fair and achievable approach; even problematic interactions can be opportunities to talk about sex

CoupleNet: Paying Attention to Couples with Coupled Attention for Relationship Recommendation

Dating and romantic relationships not only play a huge role in our personal lives but also collectively influence and shape society. Today, many romantic partnerships originate from the Internet, signifying the importance of technology and the web in modern dating. In this paper, we present a text-based computational approach for estimating the relationship compatibility of two users on social media. Unlike many previous works that propose reciprocal recommender systems for online dating websites, we devise a distant supervision heuristic to obtain real world couples from social platforms such as Twitter. Our approach, the CoupleNet is an end-to-end deep learning based estimator that analyzes the social profiles of two users and subsequently performs a similarity match between the users. Intuitively, our approach performs both user profiling and match-making within a unified end-to-end framework. CoupleNet utilizes hierarchical recurrent neural models for learning representations of user profiles and subsequently coupled attention mechanisms to fuse information aggregated from two users. To the best of our knowledge, our approach is the first data-driven deep learning approach for our novel relationship recommendation problem. We benchmark our CoupleNet against several machine learning and deep learning baselines. Experimental results show that our approach outperforms all approaches significantly in terms of precision. Qualitative analysis shows that our model is capable of also producing explainable results to users.Comment: Accepted at ICWSM 201

The effects of sex and outcome expectancies on perceptions of sexual harassment

Using an outcome expectancy framework, this research sought to understand sex differences in the underlying beliefs that influence harassment perception. One hundred and ninety-six participants (52% women) read a series of vignettes depicting common examples of digital male-on-female sexual harassment. They were asked to what extent they thought each scenario constituted sexual harassment, and how likely the perpetrator would experience positive and negative outcomes. Consistent with predictions, women were more likely to consider the behaviours as harassment than men were. Both sexes harassment perceptions had significant relationships with their outcome expectancies, but we also found evidence of a sex specific moderation; the link between men’s negative outcome expectancies was moderated by their positive ones. The results suggest that perceptions of harassment may have sexually asymmetrical underpinnings. Measuring the interplay between positive and negative outcome expectancies in relation to sexual harassment perception is a novel approach, that may have implications for the development of anti-sexual harassment interventions. Implications for theory and future research directions are discussed

Many Destinations, Many Pathways: A Quantitative Analysis of Legitimate Peripheral Participation in Scratch

Although informal online learning communities have proliferated over the last two decades, a fundamental question remains: What are the users of these communities expected to learn? Guided by the work of Etienne Wenger on communities of practice, we identify three distinct types of learning goals common to online informal learning communities: the development of domain skills, the development of identity as a community member, and the development of community-specific values and practices. Given these goals, what is the best way to support learning? Drawing from previous research in social computing, we ask how different types of legitimate peripheral participation by newcomers-contribution to core tasks, engagement with practice proxies, social bonding, and feedback exchange-may be associated with these three learning goals. Using data from the Scratch online community, we conduct a quantitative analysis to explore these questions. Our study contributes both theoretical insights and empirical evidence on how different types of learning occur in informal online environments

Unsolicited sexual images: “It’s only a picture, what’s the harm?”

Digital exhibitionism in the form of unsolicited sexual images, has become so commonplace that recipients are failing to see them as a category of sexual harassment. The aim of this study is to examine the experience response of receiving an unsolicited sexual image and assess if the action response is sufficient to those experiences. The study targets at-risk groups with the intent to convince policy writers to offer protections with the support of legislative powers. 108 female students from Murdoch University participated in a self-report online survey, using Qualtrics, that included quantitative Likert scales and qualitative answers on the frequency, response, result, reaction, and general feeling about receiving unsolicited sexual images. A scale was developed which resulted in three subscales of amusement, victimisation, and retribution. Qualitative results were analysed using NVivo software. Findings showed that there is a high frequency of the receipt of unsolicited sexual images, that generational responses differ in retributive action, and that overall action responses are inadequate to the harms they cause. The need for policy creation and legislative protections that are equal to current exhibitionist laws was evident, along with the need for public education to create a societal awareness and confidence to report online abusive behaviours

Bidding on a “biddie”: Social Exchange and Online Dating

The emergence of dime dating, while relatively new, has received a good deal of attention from the popular press. With the new process of dime dating, more individuals seeking and initiating romantic relationships are becoming curious of the cost-benefits of dime dating. Despite the increased popularity of dime dating, little is known concerning the processes by which individuals communicate rewards and costs, and how the principles of social exchange apply as individuals maximize mutual relationship rewards. This study provides a starting point for understanding the dime dating process. A sample of 212 participants was divided into not-for-profit dating participants (196) and for-profit dating participants (16). The participants responded to sets of structured survey questions that focused on the rewards, costs, satisfaction, commitment, alternatives, investment, and communication within online dating. The data from the surveys were analyzed for each hypothesis and research question using for-profit dating participants, not-for-profit dating participants, and the combined total of all participants. Hypothesis 1-5 were tested through the correlation between satisfaction and (a) costs/rewards difference, (b) rewards/alternatives difference, (c) costs/alternatives difference, (d) investments/costs difference, and (e) investments/alternatives difference. For research question 1, a multiple regression (using the predictors of alternatives, investments, and satisfaction) analyzed the investment model after removing the influence of demographics [biological sex, income, education level, relational status, sexual identity]. Lastly, for research question 2, a hierarchical multiple regression evaluated the predictors of costs, rewards, alternatives, investments, commitment and communication to analyze the best estimators of relational satisfaction. Results indicated that the processes by which individuals communicate rewards and costs in for-profit and not-for-profit relationships are governed by social exchange theoretical principals and the investment model, which depicts a clear correlation among cost-benefit scale factors including communication, commitment, investment, rewards, satisfaction, costs, and alternatives. The correlations contribute to the understanding of the cost-benefit prospects of dime dating, relative to traditional online dating

“Thanks for Writing, But I'm Not Interested”: A Qualitative Analysis of Men's Experiences of Online Dating

Research investigating the personal experiences of online daters is currently limited. Moreover, evidence implies that men are likely to experience online dating rather differently to their female counterparts and that this discrepancy warrants further investigation. Eight heterosexual adult males aged 18-60 were interviewed about their experiences of and attitudes to using online dating sites and apps. Data were analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis. A number of themes were identified from the data, including “necessary but effective online dating”, reflecting the perceived utility of dating sites and their ability to enhance certainty and reduce rejection salience. “Negative impact on self” was revealed through participants’ experiences of online interactions, with participants demonstrating various protective strategies to maintain self-integrity. “Clouded judgements”, insofar as the intentions of other daters were often more difficult to judge accurately, and “frustration”, relating to negative experiences with online dating platforms and the gendered norms within them, were also noted. The last theme was one of “resiliency” which was demonstrated throughout descriptions of participant experiences. Findings provide a rich narrative of the lived experiences of male online daters and the strategies they employ to reap rewards as well as the barriers to success that they incur

Language Use and Impression Formation:The Effects of Linguistic Cues in Online Dating Profiles

Online daters: check je taal en spelling, goed taalgebruik maakt aantrekkelijk Promovenda Tess van der Zanden onderzocht hoe het taalgebruik in onlinedatingprofielen van elkaar verschilt en hoe dit indrukken over de aantrekkelijkheid van de profieleigenaar beïnvloedt. Ze vergeleek daarbij 12.000 datingprofielen en bevroeg online daters voor haar empirische onderzoek waarop zij op 22 oktober promoveert. Van der Zanden onderzocht eerst de fase van profielconstructie waarin gebruikers een profiel(tekst) creëren om zichzelf te presenteren. Vervolgens de fase van profielverwerking waarin observanten profielen van anderen bekijken en de informatie hierop verwerken. En tot slot de impressievormingsfase waarin lezers indrukken over profieleigenaren vormen op basis van die verwerking. Originaliteit en taligheid scoren Het lijkt erop dat het taalgebruik van daters die een vaste relatie zoeken zowel bewust als onbewust beïnvloed wordt door dit relatiedoel. Onbewust door meer naar zichzelf te verwijzen (bijv. “ik”) en bewust door, strategisch, bepaalde persoonlijkheidskenmerken te noemen die belangrijk worden geacht in een betrouwbare relatie.  Eigenaren van profielen die hoog scoorden op tekstoriginaliteit werden gezien als intelligenter en grappiger, wat er vervolgens voor zorgde dat ze ook als aantrekkelijker (datemateriaal) werden beoordeeld. Dat lukte vooral als meer (concrete) persoonlijke informatie onthulden en metaforen gebruikten. Taalfouten hebben invloed als profielfoto gemiddeld aantrekkelijk is Taalfouten hebben effect op de indrukken die mensen vormen over date-intenties en de persoonlijkheid en aantrekkelijkheid van de profieleigenaren. Dat laat zien dat taalfouten dienen als een belangrijk gegeven voor indrukvorming. Maar niet het enige. Want hoewel taalfouten een negatief effect hebben op fysieke aantrekkelijkheid als een profiel een gemiddeld aantrekkelijke foto bevat, is dat niet het geval bij een aantrekkelijke of onaantrekkelijke foto is. Van der Zanden: ‘In het geval van datingprofielen waar zo weinig gegevens beschikbaar zijn kan elk stukje informatie al grote gevolgen hebben op hoe je persoonlijkheid of aantrekkelijkheid wordt beoordeeld. Op datingplatforms waar de tekst een belangrijk onderdeel is van het profiel, kan ik online daters aanraden om bij het schrijven van hun profiel niet alleen na te denken over wat ze over zichzelf schrijven, maar ook hoe ze de tekst schrijven. Zo kunnen taalfouten het best voorkomen worden en wordt een originele tekst met bijvoorbeeld metaforen juist aangeraden.

A autoapresentação dos portugueses nas plataformas de online dating

Tem-se vindo a registar um crescimento dos serviços de online dating, quer na quantidade como na diversidade de plataformas disponíveis no mercado. Por um lado, devido a características próprias do meio onde se disponibilizam, oferecem uma maior facilidade e rapidez na obtenção de resultados por outro, devido a mudanças sociais na dinâmica de comunicação e relacionamento mais pessoas recorre a estes. Nesta perspetiva, a internet deixa de ser um meio onde os indivíduos se apresentam como anónimos e onde se preocupam com a sua autoapresentação. A presente investigação explora como é que os utilizadores portugueses do Tinder constroem a sua autoapresentação nesta rede social online e como é que a informação disponibilizada por estes é utilizada no momento da tomada de decisão tendo em conta de que se trata de uma rede disponível apenas em dispositivos móveis. Desta forma, o objetivo principal é investigar entre os utilizadores portugueses do Tinder, quais os dados que estes consideram importantes revelar sobre si, nas suas estratégias de construção de perfis em função dos géneros e idades, ou seja, como é construída a sua autoapresentação. Para tal, recorreu-se a dados secundários para conhecer e contextualizar a população em estudo. Posteriormente e através de observação direta recolheram-se 300 perfis de utilizadores do Tinder que se classificaram em função de critérios estabelecidos numa grelha de observação e após análise dos resultados obtidos, realizaram-se entrevistas a seis sujeitos com o intuito de se esclarecerem questões levantadas pelos dados resultantes desta. Através da triangulação dos resultados encontrados após o recurso às três mencionadas técnicas, foi possível verificar diferenças na autoapresentação, seja das informações ou das fotografias partilhadas, em função de géneros e de idades bem como diferenças na informação disponibilizada pelos utilizadores e aquela na qual os demais se baseiam no momento de aceitar ou rejeitar determinado perfil.Through the past few years, there has been a registered growth tendency in what concerns online dating services, both in regards to quantity, but also diversity in terms of platforms available in the market. More people are using these services - on one side, this is due to the specific characteristics from the environment in which the platforms operate, which offer easy and quick results; and on the other side, due to social changes in the dynamics of communication and personal relationships between people. In this perspective, the internet is no longer a place where individuals can present themselves as anonymous, but instead they are people concerned about their self-presentation. This investigation explores how Tinder’s Portuguese users create their self-presentation in this online social media, and how their displayed information is used when it comes to decisionmaking, taking into consideration that this is an app only available on mobile devices. This way, the main goal is to investigate in terms of gender and age, how Tinder’s Portuguese users create their self-presentation, taking into consideration which data about themselves they consider most relevant to reveal when they are building their profiles. To do so, secondary data was used to get to know and to contextualize this study’s population. Afterwards, and through direct observation, 300 Tinder profiles were collected, and then classified according to an established criteria into an observation grid. After analyzing the obtained results, 6 people were interviewed in order to clarify questions that came up from the data analysis. Through triangulation of the results obtained from the three mentioned techniques, it was possible to see differences in self-presentation methods, both in terms of information and pictures shared, in terms of gender and age, and in terms of differences in information made available by users, and information in which users base themselves on, when it comes to accepting or rejecting a profile