Part 1

In the modern age of technological advancement, people often rely upon the social media to drive away their loneliness. Due to the busy professional life, people try to connect with other people through internet in order to drive away their loneliness.  Different social networking sites allow people to interact with a wide range of people from whom they can easily select their love partner. This assignment aims to discuss the concept of finding love through social media of people of different age groups and gender. In this assignment, the impact of social media upon the romantic relationship of people of different age and gender is elaborated from both positive and negative perspective with the help of ample number of examples along with social media related theories.

In this fast and age of technological advancement, people tend to select the social media or online medium to find their loved ones. In this busy time, they prefer this easy medium to express their feeling easily and get connected to similar person. In a survey conducted among married or seriously committed people from different age groups and genders in Canada in 2014 reveals the fact that around 53%respondents agree to be more socially connected  which often leaders their attraction to any special someone (Anderson Neil, Dave Park and Rich Miller). On the other hand, 43% respondents admit that they start to care more about their special someone by posting or seeing love quotes and images on social networking sites (Berry, Diane M). While 39% respondent opine that they become emotionally attracted to their loved ones, 22% respondent state about the adverse influence of the love quotes and pictures of others on their lives as it increases their expectations from their love partners. Insofar as their finding of love through internet is concerned, most of them prefer the online dating sites (Bhola, Reema Malhotra and Gopal Chandra Mahakud).

Figure 1: Opinion for social media in married or committed relationship

(Source: Created by the author)

 Around 52% people among them reveal the fact that they find their true love either through the social networking sites or through online dating sites. The other 47% respondents prefer the face to face connection at the time of selecting their love partners (Brandtzæg, Petter Bae and Jan Heim).

Figure 2: Opinion for online dating sites for developing relationship

(Source: Created by the author)

Person with similar interest, choice and taste can be identified very easily that may not be possible in the everyday lives. The match seems to be very easy for the individuals who love to develop relationship with similar kind of person (Brown, Cecilia). On the other hand, in this way, the communication system can be built more easily and in a safe procedure. Through internet surfing process, people can find their partners with similar choices with a less time consuming manner. Mainly the teenagers show greatest interest in searching their love through internet as they possess the maximum excitement about love and relationship (ClaytonRussell, B). They show greater interest in trying the online dating sites which offer the complete arrangement for a romantic date with a similar person. The excitement to meet completely new person generally drags the teens along with people under twenty five years. On the contrary, the adult and experienced people, who are above 35 years, also take the help of these online dating sites. The famous online dating sites of Canada such as Spark.com, eHarmony.com, PerfectMatch.com etc enable the experienced person to find their love with proper logical questionnaire (Farrugia, Rianne C). If the love interest, compatibility, choices, preference of two individual matches with each other and both of them agree to proceed, these sites provide the option of further communication.

The impact of social media on finding love through the online medium

From the modern psychological study, it has been proved that the impact of social networking sites along with online dating sites seems to leave great impact upon men in comparison to the women. The factors influencing mate preferences in the cases of online dating, generally based upon gender differences. Men tend to take the help of online dating sites as they do not hesitate much to take the risk and enjoy the thrill to meet an unknown person with the aim of developing a romantic relationship; while, the women hesitate to take such step due to their safety related uncertainty (Fisman, Raymond, et al). Younger and physically attractive women seem to be very popular in these online dating sites. Women generally prefer to present them as beautiful and youthful in their online profiles so that they can attract maximum men. Younger women tend to edit their profile to become more attractive and beautiful, whereas the older women has the tendency to lie about their real age and also tend to edit their photographs to hide their real look (Hitsch, Günter, Ali Hortaçsu, and Dan Ariely). On the contrary, men who are socio-economically stable seem to be popular among women in o9nline dating sites. Men of all ages have the tendency to lie about their status, age, height and relationship status because these factors seem to be influential in determining the preferences of women (Long, Bridget L).

When the couples meet face to face after interacting with each other online, the social status and educational attainment do leave impact upon the developing process of any romantic relationship. When the couples meet each other face to face, the first impression depends upon the social status from where, the individual is supposed to belong. The social background seems to indicate at the social strength of individual that can benefit the other partner who is in a romantic relationship with the person. If the other partner discovers low social status of the opposite person in a date, the chances for new romantic relationship decreases to a large extent. The educational attainment also plays a major role upon the mentality and behavior of a person that has a direct impact upon personal relationships. At the time of chatting or face to face meeting, the educational background of a person can be analyzed easily. Therefore, it is noticed that at the time of indulging into online dating, both men and women demand a standard qualification in their desired partners (Motschenbacher, Heiko). However, income of the partner plays a major part at the time of sorting mates through online mediums. In the cases of women, this factor plays a chief role as it seems to be a general tendency in women to find a partner who earns more than herself. The tendency to find socio-economic stability reflects at the time of their partner selection process through online dating sites. On the contrary, men generally tend to select the superior position in relationship by selecting a female partner who earns less than him (Hertlein, Katherine M and Katrina Ancheta). However, in this current modern age, it can be observed that both men and women try to select their partners who earns handsome amount so that they can lead an economic comfortable life.                         

Demographics of finding love through social media

The single person, who was previously in a relationship or is suffering from any loneliness, tend to find their love through internet as with the help of this technique they can easily come across a wide range of people among whom they can relate their souls. Along with increasing the possibility to meet a number of similar types of people, online dating sites also provide the opportunity to minimize the fear of rejection (Fox. Jesse,  Katie M. Warber and Dana C. Makstaller). These sites also allow the single individuals to maximize their potential to find their true love in other person, if they face any kind of obstacle in developing relationship with one person.  

Among the young people of Canada, there has been a growing demand of using the online dating sites among the young people who do not want to indulge in the partner selection process with the help of parents and other friends. Single people from all age groups in Canada; enjoy the facility to access a number of dating sites along with posting their profile with detailed information in reasonable prices. Moreover, they also provide the facilities to receive calls and messages from the interested people with same compatibility. In addition, with the help of the matchmaking tool of dating, provided by these sites, the single members can easily identify all people who have similar choices, preferences and mindset (Hertlein, Katherine M). This selection is made after filling up a sheet of questionnaire which seems to contain the basic preferences. Thus, unlike the manual love partner selection strategy, this process saves maximum of the energy and time of the person who try to find their love partners. Among a number of profiles of deserved candidates, the single members get the opportunity to choose the best suitable person among them (Motschenbacher, Heiko). Moreover, these dating sites also help to know the partner in a better and personal way without much revealing the identity before meeting them physically (Hertlein, Katherine M and Katrina Ancheta). This feature helps the single candidates to avoid the evil consequences of meeting any negative personality which mostly happen in the cases of manual searching method.

However, these online dating sites also have certain disadvantages on the romantic relationships. The single individuals often face obstacle to choose their suitable love partner through these online dating sites because they provide a huge number of candidates with similar career prospect and family background (Hertlein, Katherine M and Markie LC Blumer). On the other hand, often the physical distance between the singles becomes the major obstacle to maintain their communication properly. The limited amount of information creates adverse condition between the couples who previously chose the online dating sites for finding their love partners (Prezi.com).

The social exchange theory can be applicable in this perspective of online dating. According to Kang Tanya, and Lindsay H. Hoffman, the main concept of this theory is to provide fairness and reciprocity through required rules. With the help of this theory, the online dating sites can improve their information giving procedure which can automatically increase the satisfaction level of the users. Proper information sharing procedure ensures the success of the love matches, organized by these online dating sites. However, Lenhart, Amanda, Aaron Smith, and Monica Anderson also opines that the employment of this theory does not ensure the success rate of the romantic relationships because the couples may start their romantic relationship with similar type of person from opposite sex but they also may face some issue in their relationship later that can affect their relationship.    

Factors influencing mate preferences based on gender differences

On the other hand, from the viewpoint of Lynn, Regina, the Social Penetration theory also can be applicable in this contact where the need of personal information of the members of these online dating sites among its members. By applying this theory, the online dating sites can gain maximum authenticity in arranging the pair between members with similar liking and preferences. When a member becomes able to know more information about their future partner, they can feel more secure on the arranging process of such relationships. On the contrary, Madden, Mary et al. indicates the fact that, romantic relationship covers various dimensions such as understanding, compatibility etc that cannot be satisfied only with the collection of personal information. These things can be developed after communicating and spending sufficient time with the person.

The chief differences between the online dating and the traditional dating can be analyzed with the help of identifying the differences between social exchange theory and social information processing theory. The social exchange theory indicates to the interaction between individuals on the basis of social exchange which also depends upon the sociological and psychological perspectives (McGloin, Rory, and Amanda Denes). As per this theory, the interaction among two individuals tends to be influenced by external factors. As a result the relationship cannot be started abruptly. The traditional dating through friends and family seems to follow this theory where the meeting has been arranged by others and the family, education and professional background of both individuals are analyzed before the meeting. Here, the economic, sociological and psychological plays major roles (Bridges, John C). On the other hand, social information processing theory indicates the interacting session between individuals in the computer based online environment in a non-verbal technique. The online dating seems to follow this theory where the individuals do not much care about evaluating backgrounds of each other (Brooks, Mark).     

The lifestyle of people increases with the rapid changing environment of every system, say educational, financial, social, types of jobs etc. People in recent time tend to put more focus upon higher studies in order to secure a lump sum amount every month. The people nowadays, regardless to any gender, do not hesitate to go away from family and friends for getting prosperous career. In this way, in this modern age, people go away from their loved ones which definitely leave impact upon the relationships. Even, the couples who live in the same city or in the cases if married couples, they cannot be able to meet every day or spend sufficient time with their partners (Shepherd, Dawn). In order to stay connected with each other, both the partners take the help of social media. With the help of status, pictures, quotes, they try to express their feelings towards their love partners. In this way, the concept of maintaining the marriage and love relationships also change with this technological advancement. Now people also regard the involvement of online mediums like online dating sites, social media etc in managing their romantic relationship where physical cooperation is not possible. These devices enable people to stay connected emotionally and also provide 24*7 availability so that people can use them whenever they get some leisure time (ClaytonRussell, B).                                  

The role of social status, educational attainment, and income in online dating

The social media has both the positive and negative impact upon the romantic relationships. The social media offers the single members to build their career properly along with organizing their love lives. It also provides the couple the collective mental support from everyone which increases the success rate f any romantic relationship (Ong, David). With the help of the likes, comments and encouragements of other users, the couples get confidence on their own relationship. People use the social networking sites as a way to communicate with their preferable partners, found in the online dating sites before going to the first date. It also has some negative aspects (Shepherd, Dawn). One of the negative aspects of online dating sites is the safety related obstacles, especially of the female members of these sites. The mentality of the matched member cannot be assumed with the help of the limited amount of information of these sites. As a result, there is the possibility for the female members to be harassed by their matched partners either on the date or later if they proceed to move into a romantic relationship (ClaytonRussell, B).  In the cases of online dating, people tend to be very choosy in selecting their partners as they have several options of potential partners from which they are supposed to choose the best. Clearly, it can be regarded as one of the major drawbacks of online dating sites. Thus, the technical advancement of the modern age helps people to maintain their romantic relationships (Webspace.ship.edu).  

Conclusion

In this way, the social research has been described by elaborating the positive and negative aspects of the social media upon the romantic relationship of people. The influence of online dating sites in shaping the romantic relationships of modern age is described from the perspective of the changing environment of education, financial and technological advancement. With the help of proper statistical data, its impact upon people has been described. Moreover, the social media theories such as the social exchange theory, the Social Penetration theory and the Strong and Weak Ties theory try to illustrate the ways with which people can get more assured romantic relationship with the help of the online dating sites. Both the positive and negative impacts of social media on the relationship of people are also illustrated.

Reference List

Anderson, Neil T., Dave Park, and Rich Miller. Stomping Out Fear: Finding Courage in Christ. Harvest House Publishers, 2009

Berry, Diane M. Romancing the Web: A Therapist’s Guide to the Finer Points of Online Dating. Blue Waters Publications, 2012

Bhola, Reema Malhotra, and Gopal Chandra Mahakud. “A qualitative analysis of social networking usage.” Int J Res Dev Health. March 2.1 (2014): 34-44

Brandtzæg, Petter Bae, and Jan Heim. “Why people use social networking sites.” International Conference on Online Communities and Social Computing. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2009

Bridges, John C. The illusion of intimacy: Problems in the world of online dating. ABC-CLIO, 2012

Brooks, Mark. “How has Internet dating changed society? An Insider’s Look ‘.” Internet Dating Executive Alliance (2011)

Brown, Cecilia. “Are We Becoming More Socially Awkward? An Analysis of the Relationship Between Technological Communication Use and Social Skills in College Students.” (2013)

ClaytonRussell, B. “The third wheel: the impact of Twitter use on relationship infidelity and divorce.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking (2014)

Farrugia, Rianne C. “Facebook and relationships: A study of how social media use is affecting long-term relationships.” (2013)

Fisman, Raymond, et al. “Racial preferences in dating.” The Review of Economic Studies 75.1 (2008): 117-132

Fox, Jesse, Katie M. Warber, and Dana C. Makstaller. “The role of Facebook in romantic relationship development: An exploration of Knapp’s relational stage model.” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 30.6 (2013): 771-794

Hertlein, Katherine M. “Digital dwelling: Technology in couple and family relationships.” Family Relations 61.3 (2012): 374-387

Hertlein, Katherine M., and Katrina Ancheta. “Advantages and disadvantages of technology in relationships: Findings from an open-ended survey.” The Qualitative Report 19.11 (2014)

Hertlein, Katherine M., and Markie LC Blumer. The couple and family technology framework: Intimate relationships in a digital age. Routledge, 2013

Hitsch, Günter J., Ali Hortaçsu, and Dan Ariely. “Matching and sorting in online dating.” The American Economic Review 100.1 (2010): 130-163

Kang, Tanya, and Lindsay H. Hoffman. “Why would you decide to use an online dating site? Factors that lead to online dating.” Communication Research Reports 28.3 (2011): 205-213

Lenhart, Amanda, Aaron Smith, and Monica Anderson. “Teens, technology and romantic relationships.” (2015)

 Long, Bridget L. Scripts for online dating: A model and theory of online romantic relationship initiation. Diss. Bowling Green State University, 2010

Lynn, Regina. The Sexual Revolution 2.0: Getting Connected, Upgrading Your Sex Life, and Finding True Love–or at Least a Dinner Date–in the Internet Age. Ulysses Press, 2005

Madden, Mary, et al. “Teens, social media, and privacy.” Pew Research Center 21 (2013): 2-86

McGloin, Rory, and Amanda Denes. “Too hot to trust: Examining the relationship between attractiveness, trustworthiness, and desire to date in online dating.” new media & society (2016)

Motschenbacher, Heiko. An Interdisciplinary Bibliography on Language, Gender and Sexuality (2000 2011). John Benjamins Publishing, 2012

Ong, David. “Education and income attraction: an online dating field experiment.” Applied Economics 48.19 (2016): 1816-1830

Prezi.com, (2016), Patterns of race-ethnic exclusion by online daters, Available from:  https://prezi.com/uwrifyx7sv-o/patterns-of-race-ethnic-exclusion-by-online-daters/ [Accessed on 3 March, 2017]

Shepherd, Dawn. Building Relationships: Online Dating and the New Logics of Internet Culture. Rowman & Littlefield, 2016

Webspace.ship.edu, (2016), Deception in Online Dating, Available from:  https://webspace.ship.edu/jacamp/psyberpsych/deception/page2.html [Accessed on 3 March, 2017]