Online Dating Research Articles

The More We Tinder: Subjects, Selves and Society

Mobile online dating is currently a widespread and important phenomenon in many peoples’ daily lives. Digital applications like Tinder enable users to get in contact with numerous possible partners quickly and with minimal effort often basing their decision on pictures. Research related to mobile online dating so far has focused mostly on users’ specific traits or on their motives to use such applications. But which role does mobile online dating play in peoples’ lives? What does it mean to them? Which desires, emotions and expectations are involved? How does the use of the application influence peoples’ daily activities and how do they relate to this impact? To answer these questions, we (a) reconstructed the architecture of Tinder to understand the characteristics of its functions for the way it is used and the respective consequences, (b) replicated the Tinder Motives Scale (Timmermans & De Caluwe, Comput. Hum. Behav., 70, S. 341–350, 2017)—extended by social and demographic variables and (c) analyzed qualitative interviews with Tinder users about their experiences, their usage and its impact on emotions, thoughts and behaviour. In this article, we show the complexity of mobile online dating beyond presumptions and stereotypes and reveal its inherent economic logic (Weigel, 2018) and acceleration dynamics (Rosa, 2013). Furthermore, we reference people’s narrations and rationalizations to a specific discourse of the self which shapes subjects’ private concept of the self in a particular—liberal and economic—logic (Gergen, 1991, Rose, 1989) and reflect on the subjects’ scopes for action and meaning making.

Privacy-Preserving User Profile Matching in Social Networks

In this paper, we consider a scenario where a user queries a user profile database, maintained by a social networking service provider, to identify users whose profiles match the profile specified by the querying user. A typical example of this application is online dating. Most recently, an online dating website, Ashley Madison, was hacked, which resulted in a disclosure of a large number of dating user profiles. This data breach has urged researchers to explore practical privacy protection for user profiles in a social network. In this paper, we propose a privacy-preserving solution for profile matching in social networks by using multiple servers. Our solution is built on homomorphic encryption and allows a user to find out matching users with the help of multiple servers without revealing to anyone the query and the queried user profiles in clear. Our solution achieves user profile privacy and user query privacy as long as at least one of the multiple servers is honest. Our experiments demonstrate that our solution is practical.

‘Hey man, how’s u?’: masculine speech and straight-acting gay men online

ABSTRACT This article explores how gay men in the UK reflect upon the speech practices of those who refer to themselves as ‘straight-acting’ on hook-up apps. Using interview data from eight informants, this article identifies cultural and social models of hegemonic masculinity that gay men are perceived to take inspiration from to masculinize their speech and outlines the linguistic conventions and patterns that straight-acting gay men are said to enact. It is suggested that straight-acting gay men draw on the figure of the ‘lad’ in British culture and emulate some of their speech practices to increase their proximity to a hegemonic masculinity, but that they also speak in short, blunt, and non-conversational manners to other app users to remain socially indirect and inexpressive. Using sexual scripting theory and style-shifting as theoretical frameworks, this article also suggests that gay men emulate a ‘straight-acting’ style if a sexual hook-up is sought as opposed to dates or friends. This has potential implications for the self-worth of marginalized, effeminate gay men using hook-up apps, and also contributes to previous literature on gay masculinities, hook-up app usage and interactive practices, highlighting the intersections between hegemonic and subordinated masculinities.

Testing, filtering, and insinuating: Matching and attunement of emoji use patterns as non-verbal flirting in online dating

This study adds to research on digital interactions by exploring the role of emoji use patterns in online dating among young adults. Focus group data suggest emojis play a similar role as non-verbal behaviors do in an offline context, where coordination is used to ascertain mutual interest. The data shows how the degree of synchronization in emoji use patterns (such as frequency, types, and style) is used as a feedback tool to assess a chat partner's romantic fit. Attunement of emoji use patterns between the partners is also used to signal and gage interest, for example by using suggestive emojis to “test” the other partner's interest and intentions, or to establish a shared mood. Conversely, a lack of reciprocity is experienced as awkward or wrong and can produce insecurity and doubt. To understand this back-and-forth process of mutual suggestion and attunement, we propose a modified version of Collins’ interaction ritual model. In this model, we highlight the importance of shared interpretative schemas and interaction scripts, which set normative expectations for how emoji patterns can be used to build sexual or romantic chemistry.

Why settle when there are plenty of fish in the sea? Rusbult’s investment model applied to online dating

The current mixed-methods study reports the results of a cross-sectional survey of 205 online daters and uses the Investment Model to examine the antecedents of commitment in online dating and users’ decisions to delete their online dating account(s). We hypothesized that the quality of alternatives, investments, and satisfaction with the online dating relationship would mediate the association between online dating intensity and commitment, which, in turn, would predict the intention to terminate an account. The analyses revealed that online dating intensity was associated with greater commitment and a lower likelihood of account termination. There were also specific indirect effects on commitment through the quality of alternatives, investments, and satisfaction, and on termination through investments. Responses to an open-ended question provided more information about users’ decisions to quit online dating. These results point to ways online dating may facilitate the desire for commitment while potentially undermining the long-term stability of relationships.

Reinforcing the Racial Structure: Observed Race and Multiracial Internet Daters’ Racial Preferences

AbstractIs the growing multiracial population changing the US racial structure? This study examines how self-identifying with more than one racial group relates to racial dating choices—an outcome that reveals multiracial individuals’ agency in the process of racial boundary-making and reduction. Quantitative analyses of profiles drawn from the largest online dating website, combined with observer racial classifications of profile photos, reveal divergent patterns in racial preferences among multiracials who self-identify as part-Black compared with those who do not. Non-Black multiracials express racial preferences that are more similar to Whites than to minorities, consistent with Whitening theories suggesting that these groups situate themselves closer to Whites and reinforce the existing racial hierarchy. In contrast, part-Black multiracials’ preferences are more similar to Blacks. However, regardless of racial self-identity, multiracial online daters’ exclusion of Whites as possible dates depends upon how they are racially perceived by others—their observed race. In particular, among self-identified part-Black multiracials, those whom others view as non-Black are much more accepting of Whites as dates than are those whom others classify as Black. Since preferences for dating Whites vary substantially among individuals who self-identify as part-Black depending upon their observed race, this suggests a decline in the salience of the one-drop rule, even while some aspects of Black exceptionalism persist among multiracials whom others classify solely as Black.

Love at first byte: A mixed-method study about online dating in India

Love at first byte: A mixed-method study about online dating in India

Особливості соціодемографічного «портрета» осіб, які шукають шлюбного партнера в інтернет-мережi

The aim of the article is to find out the peculiarities of the socio-demographic «portrait» of the people who are searching for a marriage partner online. Research methods and techniques are the methodological tools of the research which included the analysis and generalization of works devoted to the study of the virtual discourse of the people searching for a marriage partner online; content analysis of personal data in the context of identifying the peculiarities of language self-presentation of the users searching for a marriage partner online. Data collection for the empirical study was carried out on the site Love.ua.The sample of the research consisted of 120 Internet pages on the dating site (50 female and 70 male profiles). All obtained empirical data were analyzed separately for the sample of men and the sample of women. The significance of the difference was calculated using Fisher’s φ-test. The results of the research made it possible to determine the peculiarities of the socio-demographic «portrait» of the people who are searching for a marriage partner online. Conclusions. The identified gender characteristics in the answers to the questionnaires of a dating site reflect the real socio-demographic trends in Ukrainian society. It was found that for most men, the situation of online dating is a continuation of a real life situation, expanding its capabilities. Women mostly turn to a dating site as an alternative (compensation) to a real life situation. Adolescents and young people use the site as a «training» platform, learning to flirt and trying different tactics of behavior towards people of the opposite sex. It is investigated that when creating the self-presentation on a dating site, the author is limited by the framework of the template (questionnaire) that regulates communicative behavior, but he is given relative autonomy to create his own image. The users of a site usually avoid answering questions related to their social status, education and financial status. However, in the case of a serious attitude to acquaintance, this information is necessary, because it relates to the similarity of a social base of future partners.

The Outsourcing of Online Dating: Investigating the Lived Experiences of Online Dating Assistants Working in the Contemporary Gig Economy

A small cottage industry emerging within the larger gig economy is online dating assistant (ODA) companies that allow paying clients to outsource the labor associated with online dating, including profile development, date selection and matching, and even interaction (i.e., ODAs assume their clients’ identities to exchange messages with other [unsuspecting] daters to secure face-to-face dates). The newness of this industry presents an opportunity to investigate the lived experience of remote employees working in an up-and-coming virtual organization. Through interviews with six ODAs, we explored motivations, day-to-day workflow, and development of work identities. Analysis uncovered unique challenges ODAs faced when performing the “human-based” tasks of online dating, which differed starkly from other popular services being bought and sold in the gig economy (e.g., rideshare, food delivery). Findings also show how ODAs engage in pragmatic and critical sensemaking as they navigate the specific challenges associated with ODA labor, and those created by remote work and gig labor, more generally.

Building community, one swipe at a time: hook-up apps and the production of intimate publics between women

ABSTRACT Hook-up apps are an increasingly popular way for women to meet other people for sex, dating, relationships, and more. As a mundane and habitual form of media, the multiple uses of hook-up apps allow for the production of intimacy in surprising and complex ways. This paper draws on narrative interviews with 15 self-identifying women to explore how dating and hook-up apps help produce ‘intimate publics’ for women. The field of intimate publics available to women users of hook-up apps is broader than those afforded by in-app interactions; there is an entire network of intimacy, sociality, and publicity that forms around hook-up apps. Our findings show that while both queer and straight women use hook-up apps to find sex, hook-ups, dates, and relationships, they are also central to building community, friendship, and sociality between women.

Naturally Blocking Module Responses to Find Ideal Partner: Study Check with Long Timeboringcouple Affiliated To Unexpected Pharmacy Intuitions in India

Poor and poorest can engage in dating. Date fun and novel, ideally can choose a partner from another generation.Dating has fun regardless of a person’s age.Today, there are men and even women who date in their 50s. And many look forward to a date with the same feeling of excitement they had when they were much younger.While the institution of marriage may not be as hallowed as it had been a few decades ago, dating has more popular than ever.Since the growth of the internet, dating has come offline. More people are dating those they met online than ever before.This is not a trend; online dating has how more and more relationships will be forged in the decades ahead.There are a few ways to improve the chances that date with someone a person meets online will be spectacular.

Sexual function in hook-up culture: The role of body image

Hook-up mobile apps are increasing in popularity and research suggests sexual function may be lower among those who hook-up compared to those who have sex in a longer-term relationship. Sexual function is an important predictor of well-being; however, we know little about the psychosocial antecedents of sexual function, such as body image, among those who use hook-up apps. The current study aims to examine two measures of positive body image and one measure of body image self-consciousness during intimate activity among a sample of adult women and men who have hooked up in the previous month using a hook-up mobile app (N = 243). Our results suggest that higher body image self-consciousness during intimate activity was related to lower sexual function composite score and several specific domains (i.e., pain, arousal, orgasm, and lubrication) among women. Higher body appreciation was related to higher sexual satisfaction among women. Higher body image self-consciousness during intimate activity was related to higher erection difficulty, but not ejaculation difficulty, among men. These findings highlight the nuanced nature of body image and sexual function and provide further evidence that interventions for women and men aiming to improve some body image constructs may improve sexual function as well.

An algorithm for automatic assignment of reviewers to papers

The assignment of reviewers to papers is one of the most important and challenging tasks in organizing scientific conferences and a peer review process in general. It is a typical example of an optimization task where limited resources (reviewers) should be assigned to a number of consumers (papers), so that every paper should be evaluated by highly competent, in its subject domain, reviewers while maintaining a workload balancing of the reviewers. This article suggests a heuristic algorithm for automatic assignment of reviewers to papers that achieves accuracy of about 98–99% in comparison to the maximum-weighted matching (the most accurate) algorithms, but has better time complexity of Θ(n2). The algorithm provides an uniform distribution of papers to reviewers (i.e. all reviewers evaluate roughly the same number of papers); guarantees that if there is at least one reviewer competent to evaluate a paper, then the paper will have a reviewer assigned to it; and allows iterative and interactive execution that could further increase accuracy and enables subsequent reassignments. Both accuracy and time complexity are experimentally confirmed by performing a large number of experiments and proper statistical analyses. Although it is initially designed to assign reviewers to papers, the algorithm is universal and could be successfully implemented in other subject domains, where assignment or matching is necessary. For example: assigning resources to consumers, tasks to persons, matching men and women on dating web sites, grouping documents in digital libraries and others.

The gay scientist: Kane Race on the unexpected possibilities of experimental intimacies

In this interview with Jamie Hakim, Kane Race talks about his most recent monograph The Gay Science: Intimate Experiments With the Problem of HIV (2018). In The Gay Science, he explores how practices of sex and intimacy between gay men are shifting amidst what he calls the changing infrastructures of gay life – digital, chemical and communal. As such the book is empirically oriented and looks at a wide range of topics from hook-up apps, to PreP to chemsex/party ‘n’ play, to the history and politics of Sydney’s Mardi Gras as they take place on the ground. Theoretically he blends the thought of philosophers such as Michel Foucault and Friedrich Nietzche with critical perspectives such as actor-network theory and Science and Technology Studies to argue that as scholars of sexual practice we need to pay more attention to what emerges within the contingencies of the assemblages and infrastructures that make sex between gay men possible. In so doing, the book is far more optimistic about gay sex and digital media then either popular media or influential strands of queer theory, offering path-breaking insight into the major concerns of this special issue on Chemsex Cultures.

Time out: The star of the IT Crowd discusses online dating and introduces her new play, written for Index, that looks at love and deception online

Time out: The star of the IT Crowd discusses online dating and introduces her new play, written for Index, that looks at love and deception online

Racial and Ethnic Influence in Online Dating Perceptions

This study determines the racial and ethnic differences associated with the perceptions and intentions of online dating amongst emerging adults through a framework guided by symbolic interaction and sexual scripts to understand how perceptions and intentions of online dating are influenced by cultural and interpersonally crafted scripts of appropriate dating, romantic, and sexual behavior. 451 emerging adults, between 18 and 30 years old were sampled. Several differences were found based on race/ethnicity, pertaining to perceptions of dating sites and online dating users. The intention of casual, sexual relationships was found to have the most varied perception based on race/ethnicity and site. Perceptions of online daters was overall similar amongst racial/ethnic groups; only two of thirteen characteristics showed differences: being anti-social and difficulty cultivating in-person relationships. As technology continues to grow and online dating acceptability expands, varied online dating sites are likely to arise. Further research is needed to examine the effects of race/ethnicity on individuals’ engagement with online dating and the effects of their perceptions.

Online Dating and Problematic Use: A Systematic Review

Despite the constant growth in the use of online dating sites and mobile dating applications, research examining potential problematic use of online dating has remained scarce. Previous research has obviated problematic use of online dating in favour of users’ personality correlates and scams through online dating services. A systematic review was carried out using PsycINFO and Web of Science databases to gather previous findings that address potential problematic use of online dating by (i) identifying use and motivations, (ii) assessing users’ personality correlates, (iii) outlining negative correlates of use, (iv) examining sexual and impulsive behaviour, (v) exploring substance use and behavioural addictions in relation to online dating, and (vi) examining problematic use of online dating, resulting in 43 studies. Findings suggest that personality correlates such as neuroticism, sociability, sensation-seeking, and sexual permissiveness are related to greater use of online dating services. Sex-search and self-esteem enhancement are predictors of problematic use of online dating. Previous research coincides with online dating risks (e.g. fear of deception) and objectification tendency due to online dating services (sites and apps) design. Observations regarding methodological weaknesses and future research implications are included.

Characteristics of newly reported HIV/AIDS cases with heterosexual mode of transmission in six districts of Chongqing city

Objective: To understand the routes of newly reported HIV/AIDS cases with heterosexual mode of transmission in six districts of Chongqing city, and to provide evidence for HIV/AIDS prevention and control programs regarding heterosexual mode of transmission on HIV. Methods: HIV/AIDS cases that were newly reported as with heterosexual mode of transmission in six districts of Chongqing from July 1st to October 1st in 2019, were recruited in the study. Information related to their sociodemographic characteristics and heterosexual behaviors was collected. A self-designed questionnaire was used in this face-to-face survey. Results: A total of 312 HIV/AIDS cases with heterosexual mode of transmission were recruited. Most of them were males (207, 66.3%), aged 50 years or over (210, 67.3%), having junior high school or lower education (252, 80.8%), married or cohabitating (200, 64.1%). 48.7% (152/312) of them were infected through commercial sexual contact while 40.4% (126/312) of them were infected by spouses or stabled partners. 10.9% (34/312) of them were infected by non-marital and non-commercial sexual contacts. Significant differences were noticed on the infection mode of heterosexual transmission in gender, age and occupation (P<0.05). Results from the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that: male (OR=822.34, 95%CI: 103.99-6 503.10), junior high school and lower education level (OR=3.02, 95%CI: 1.05-8.66), household chores and underemployed (OR=0.23, 95%CI: 0.07-0.76) were influencing factors on HIV infection that were through commercial sexual contacts. Male (OR=29.20, 95%CI: 9.40-90.75), junior high school and lower education level (OR=4.28, 95%CI: 1.24-14.81) were influencing factors on HIV infection, through non-marital and non-commercial sexual contacts. In addition to meeting sexual partners in offline places, some HIV/AIDS patients with heterosexual mode of transmission had developed sexual partnerships through online dating and with low-grade venue as the main place for sex engagement. Conclusions: Newly reported HIV/AIDS cases under heterosexual mode of transmission in Chongqing were mainly infected from offline low-grade venues, and caused by commercial sexual engagement. The routes of HIV infections that caused by heterosexual contact should be deeply understood in order to develop targeted intervention programs.

Inferring Sexually Transmitted Infection Risk From Attractiveness in Online Dating Among Adolescents and Young Adults: Exploratory Study.

BackgroundSexually transmitted infection (STI) rates are on the rise among adolescents and young adults in the United States. With the popularity of online dating, adolescents and young adults must increasingly rely on limited cues to make initial judgments about potential sexual partners, including judgments about STI risk.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess whether in the context of online dating, an attractiveness heuristic would be used for STI risk assessment. We hypothesized that consistent with research on halo effects, decision makers would judge more attractive people to be less likely to have STIs.MethodsIn a survey experiment, we asked participants to determine which individual in each of 20 sets of paired photographs was enrolled in a personals website for people with publicly disclosed STIs.ResultsDespite financial incentives for accuracy and high levels of self-confidence in their judgments, participants performed no better than chance at identifying individuals with self-reported STIs. Contrary to our hypothesis, however, more attractive people were judged as being more likely to have an STI. This relationship appears to be mediated by inferences regarding the target individual’s sexual behavior, with more attractive individuals considered to have more partners.ConclusionsOn showing adolescents and young adults photographs offering no diagnostic information about STIs, they appeared to use attractiveness as a cue for sexual risk, which was mediated by the belief that attractive individuals have more sexual opportunities. Health care providers may wish to address this heuristic process among their adolescent patients in discussions about sexual health.

Effects of Social Media on Researchers’ Attitude to Work at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Oyo State, Nigeria

This study assessed the effects of social media on researchers’ work attitude at IITA, Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria. Proportionate sampling technique was used to select 82 respondents for the study through the use of questionnaire. Data collected were analysed using percentage, Chi-square and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). Results showed that the frequently used media on a daily basis, were emails (87.7%), Facebook (76.6%) and WhatsApp (71.6%) while Skype (24.7%) and Twitter (21.0%) were used on weekly basis. Researchers used social media to source for journals (14.8%), collaborative research (38.2%) and connection with families and friends (41.9%) as well as for online dating (7.4%). Furthermore, 38.0% of the respondents accessed social media from their departmental office, personal office (29.7%) and their individual homes (13.6%). Researchers agreed that social media were essential office tools (37.0%), retarded their work (3.7%) as well as wasted their time (1.2%). Chi-square analysis showed that there was significant relationship between the usage of social media and religion (χ 2=8.336, p≤0.05), marital status (χ2=14.81, p≤0.05) and rank/cadre of respondents (χ 2 =23.03, p≤0.05) while PPMC analysis results showed a significant relationship between social media usage and age (R = -0.245, p≤0.05) as well as work experience (R= -0.33, p≤0.005). Social media has both positive and negative effects on researchers’ attitude to work. Social media usage should be controlled during working hours to improve the positive attitude of researchers towards work at IITA.&#x0D; Key Words: Social media, work attitude, researchers.