Desperate or desirable? Perceptions of individuals seeking dates online and offline

Abstract

Past research suggests that people who use the Internet to pursue romantic relationships have been stereotyped negatively—as unattractive, desperate, or creepy. It is possible, however, that as finding dates online has grown in popularity, individuals who have themselves used online methods to meet a partner are less likely to apply these negative stereotypes than non‐users. In addition, as options for dating online have proliferated, it is not clear that users of all online formats are viewed negatively, or how perceptions of users of online methods might differ from perceptions of daters using various offline methods. This study examined perceptions of those who use various online (algorithm‐based, profile‐browsing, or social media) and offline (meeting through family/friends, luck, groups, work, or going out) methods to meet a partner. Participants (N = 214), who were themselves users or non‐users of online methods of meeting partners, were recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk system to complete online questionnaires. Results indicated that participants viewed individuals who used online methods more negatively than those using offline methods; however, individuals who had themselves used online methods viewed other online users more positively than did non‐users.

A Study of Online Relationships: A Sociocultural Perspective

“…Participants commonly associated the ease of initiating contact with others online, with perceived shallowness and lack of depth in these interactions. Benjamin (29), who has online friendships, said:…”

“…There is an underlying assumption that online personas are often modi ed, even if the revelation of additional information fails to con rm this belief. For example, Amelie (29) notes that the pro les of others online are embellished: It's like a pro le on online sales, it's a commercial of yourself and that's no real you. You can say, Oh, I'm a very adventurous person and I do this and this, and actually, you do nothing.…”

“…Cummings et al, 2002;Hall et al, 2023;Lee et al, 2011;Schiffrin et al, 2010). Moreover, individuals engaged in online dating are often negatively stereotyped as unattractive, creepy, or desperate (Johanis et al, 2023). Despite these negative views surrounding the Internet and relational well-being, the usage of the Internet for social purposes continues to rise.…”