Suchergebnisse

The current research used uncertainty management theory (UMT) as a framework to examine individuals' experience of uncertainty within the context of Grindr, an all-male, location-based mobile dating application. In two studies, we first investigated the particular concerns associated with Grindr use. Results indicated that the unique affordances of Grindr generated six categories of user concerns associated with use of the mobile application. The second study confirmed that a specific set of user goals and concerns predicted daters' desire for uncertainty, which in turn predicted information-seeking behavior. Findings clearly indicate that Grindr users' responses to uncertainty were not limited to simple reduction strategies, but were dependent upon their desire for and tolerance of uncertainty in relation to their goals and concerns of application use. The current results also help to establish UMT's predictive power and explanatory utility within the realm of interpersonal communication.

This research addresses three important issues regarding interpersonal expectancy effects and communication across various modalities. The phenomena of behavioral confirmation and disconfirmation were tested in an original experiment involving 148 participants using computer-mediated communication (CMC). First, this study tested a boundary condition asserted by previous theorists about whether or not confirmation and disconfirmation could occur in communication channels without nonverbal communication. Secondly, it shed light on an important causal variable of perceived malleability of interpersonal expectancies in a novel, simultaneous test of confirmation and disconfirmation. Lastly, it verified the hyperpersonal model of CMC by demonstrating behavioral confirmation, and extended the model by specifying when disconfirmation occurs online.

"In Up to Date, Tong and Van Der Heide explore the spicy, unsetting-and sometimes just exhausting-universe of digital romance. As dating platforms like Bumble, Tinder, and Grindr proliferate, scholars have had to stretch their understandings of how courtship works, often arriving at fascinatingly counterintuitive theories about how twenty-first century daters shape online identities, select mates, mediate conflict, and maintain or terminate romantic relationships. This book guides readers through an increasingly complex and extensive literature, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of existing approaches, while establishing new avenues for the future. Written for both students and seasoned experts alike, the book also addresses the largely invisible underpinnings of what has become a multibillion-dollar industry, including propriety algorithms and perverse economic incentives. Up to Date is a provocative and rigorous must-read for anyone who seeks to understand or conduct research regarding the social science of online romance"--

This research examines how online dating technology affects the experience of mate selection and courtship among Muslim American women. Sixteen individuals who (1) self-identified as Muslim American women and (2) were actively using online dating websites participated in interviews about their experiences. Qualitative data analysis suggests that these women balance the perceived advantages of online dating (e.g. increased individual agency in initiating romantic relationships, increased control over interaction, greater confidentiality and privacy) with their desire to maintain their cultural and religious courtship practices. Additionally, participants identified challenges they faced with online dating, including social stigma, fear of others' misrepresentation, and frustrations with technology. This study contributes toward a deeper understanding of how new technologies integrate with existing religions and cultures and gives insights into the nature of technological change and adaptation in society more generally.

In online dating, the self-authored profile serves as the primary way for daters to introduce themselves to others and to learn more about potential partners. However, few studies have examined the extent to which daters' self-authored profile content is consistent with the impressions that others actually form. This study applied the Brunswikian lens model (1956) to examine self-presentation and impression formation in the text-based "about me" portion of the online dating profile. Using the meaning extraction method, we analyzed 190 profiles. Consistent with the lexical approach to personality, daters were able to encode aspects of themselves through linguistic self-description (cue validity), and observers were able to decode profile information to form impressions (cue utilization). However, there were few significant associations between a dater's self-presentation and observers' judgments (functional achievement). Findings are interpreted in line with previous work examining self-presentation and impressions in online dating profiles.