Courtship patterns in the information age. Theoretical reflections on the impact of computer technology on human grouping.

Abstract

Online dating is a mass phenomenon. It is definitely not the only way of dating, since only a certain subpopulation uses this medium. However, it can be assumed that online dating will spread throughout the society with the increase in internet usage, which attracts the attention of researchers. Examples of research questions related to\ud this issue include:\ud *­How should these systems be designed in order to enable the most effective partner search?\ud ­*Which search strategies do users apply?\ud ­*How can users be retained?\ud ­*How can the marriage market be described?\ud ­*Which patterns can be analysed from the logged behaviour in online dating agencies?\ud ­*How can dating behaviour be analysed using statistical methods (Fiore 2004, Holme et.al. 2004)?\ud *With these questions the existing research focusses on product selling strategies and the description of the phenomenon, while a theoretical framework needed to understand the phenomenon is lacking