Tech Enhanced Dating Flashcards
Tech Enhanced Dating
Dating online through apps or websites. Happens on a scale from long distance and strictly online to face to face which uses online communication too. Emerged in recent years. Argued it is more successful as people can open up and connect more easily.
Relationship timeline
Self disclosures occur in time which leads to emotional closeness. Sexual intimacy eventually occurs and physical attraction is heavily involved.
Social Penetration Theory
Altman & Taylor, 1973.
Four stages of a relationship.
Orientation: first meeting, shallow discussions.
Exploratory affective: conversations more emotionally driven.
Affective: based on physical attraction.
Stable: progressed to romantic.
Filter Theory
Kerckhoff & Davis, 1962.
Specific hurdles people must overcome in deciding to be with someone.
Screening them for social attributes.
Assessment of similarly of attitudes and values.
Assessment of complementary and compatible traits.
Limit: not much evidence and most social decisions are automatic
Stimulus Value Role Theory
Things we look at in deciding if someone is suitable to date:
Stimulus (external characteristics).
Value (analysis of similarity of attitudes).
Role (expectations of how each partner with function in relationship).
How is online dating changing offline dating?
People no longer believe in ‘the one’ due to greater availability.
Bigger lack of commitment due to variety of choice (Paul, 2014).
Increase in objectification (Davidson et al, 2018).
Horizontal and Vertical Attributes
Kalmijn, 1998.
Horizontal: people most attracted to those with similar attributes to their own.
Vertical: consensus among people regarding desirable features so general and not on individual level of needs.
Ideal Self and Real Self Distinction
Wetzel & Insko, 1982.
People like those who are similar to their ideal self. Similarly to actual self has minor influence on choice.
How People End Relationships
Baxter, 1982. Withdrawal and avoidance. Manipulation. Positive tone. Open expression.
Found using cluster analysis.
Two main differences online vs offline - STUDY
Finkel et al, 2012.
Studied two differences: compatibility matching process and romantic acquaintance process. Compatibility shown to be different offline as happens through mutual friends but online through surveys/profiles. Romantic shown to be different online as based more on face to face whereas offline provides lots of data immediately.
Online dating preferences - STUDY
Kreager et al, 2014.
12000 online dating users - analysed preferences for profiles. Men: younger women, short biographies, not affected by postgrad degree.
Women: older men, longer profiles and ideal man included being tall, well educated and non smokers. Postgrad degree desirable. Likely because social status more important to women.
Online dating - similarity - STUDY
Fiore & Donath, 2005.
Found amongst 65000 users people sought people like themselves, supporting similarity hypothesis.
Messaging - STUDY
Fiore et al, 2010.
Messages in online dating.
23 % initial contact from women, 77% from men. Similar to offline. Correlations between traits like neuroticism and caution and frequency at which they initiate conversation. Those most concerned about who they date initiate contact most as strategy for evaluating options.
Profile Photos - STUDY
Tyson et al, 2016.
Women happier pursuing man with more profile photos. Due to deception online. Likely to seek warranted info that’s difficult to fake, Supported by way deception can be detected through change in way users write (Hancock & Toma, 2009).
Online to offline - STUDY
Whitty, 2007.
57% online users who arranged to meet face to face did so within one or two weeks. More beneficial if people do and does not waste time on someone unsuitable. In first meetings people most concerned with image of their date.
