The Formation of Social Rules for Digital Interactions

Abstract

The increasing use of Internet-based 'dating' services as a means to meet strangers online to potentially form intimate relationships offline, raises concerns about trust and identity. The established social practices of introductions or meeting with stranger's offline are supported by a set of social rules and rituals that have been described as 'courtship'. There is an absence of such courting rules or guidelines for interaction in mediated dating environments. This means that individuals have to understand for themselves the rules that shape how they should behave. On the basis of the analysis of Internet newsgroups discussions this article puts forward an ideal type continuum about 'eDating' expectations and experiences. The continuum leads discussion about how men and women eDaters are seeking to comprehend the rules for interaction that establish a reciprocated communication with other online 'strangers'.

What are you doing on Tinder? Impression management on a matchmaking mobile app

“…In terms of selecting matches, interviewees demonstrate knowledge of a particular set of 'courting rules' (Hardey, 2008) explicit to the dating environment. Hardy describes this as follows: ' … individuals have to learn how to "decode" the profiles displayed on these sites and make choices on the basis of these mediated interactions ' (p. 1112).…”

Finding a Partner in the Virtual Environment: Motives and Psychosocial Characteristics of Online Dating Site Users in Croatia

“…Većina korisnika servisa za upoznavanje partnera ipak tvrdi da žele pronaći partnera za intimnu vezu u »stvarnom životu« (mijenja se sredstvo, ali cilj ostaje isti; Henry-Waring i Žakelj, 2011). Pritom Hardey (2008) korisnike tih servisa idealnotipski dijeli na one koji traže partnere za romantične i dugotrajne veze te one koji traže partnere za seksualne odnose i ostvarivanje seksualnih maštarija. Istraživanja pokazuju da su među prvima zastupljenije žene, a među potonjima muškarci, bilo zbog razlika u društvenim očekivanjima, profesionalnim/karijernim prioritetima ili reproduktivnim strategijama (Feng, 2005;Štulhofer i dr., 2006;Stoddard, 2008;Alam, Yeow i Loo, 2011).…”

“…U skladu s postojećim spoznajama (npr. Hitsch, Hortaçsu i Ariely, 2005;Hardey, 2008), ispitanici najčešće kao glavni motiv za korištenje servisa navode traženje romantičnog partnera, a muškarci izražavaju nešto veći interes od žena za neobvezatnu vezu. Prvi je neočekivani rezultat nešto veća zastupljenost korisnika od korisnica i među onima koji su u potrazi za ozbiljnijom vezom.…”

The Experience of Connectivity

“…While much early research and thinking about the Internet tended to focus on the experience of a distinct realm of cyberspace, more recent research takes as its starting point the close interaction between mediated and unmediated human behaviour even though people using the Internet remain influenced in various ways by different qualities of cyberspace that at times make it seem like another place. Thus, research which attempts to compare 'online' and 'offline' experiences (Acar 2008;Stoneman 2008) misses the point that, as Hardey (2008) makes clear, computer-mediated interactions and behaviours are deeply human engagements pursued variously at different times and in different ways but all part of one underlying endeavour. Similarly, my research considers the Internet to be something far more than media.…”