Online dating and communicating over the internet or web has become increasingly popular. Web based matchmaking has become a big business, with industries sales totaling over $500 million since the late 1990’s to around 2006. People have a chance to build an establishing relationship before they actually meet in person. Online dating has achieved overwhelming commercial success, then, it is important to determine how they have overcome challenges in developing online trust. Social networks are now bigger than ever and do pose certain risks regarding user safety, online stalkers and identity mistrust.
“According to Schouten (1991), identity is the cognitive and affective understanding of who and what we are”.” Others believe our identities are shaped by who we think we are and how others perceive us. Online dating limits the face to face interaction; therefore we may alter who we really are. We can describe ourselves they way we want to be instead of the way we actually are. “The most common accusations included misrepresentations about physical appearance (86%), relationship goals (49%), age (46%), income (45%), and marital status (40%).” Trust is valued high in interpersonal relationships. Relationships between friends, lovers, siblings, husband and wives, parents and children, mentors and students are predicated on trust. One dating site Match.com establishes a climate of trust and familiarity among its members. Members create their identities within guidelines. Profiles include information on personality, physical appearance, demographics and ideal romantic partner. Online daters then can respond to people with similar interest to what they are looking for in a partner. They can respond with positive or negative feedback. They can narrow down their choices and get to know the other personal through asking them additional questions. Match.com may be one of the more successful and trustworthy websites, because you have to pay to become a member. If one has to pay they may be less likely to mislead with their information. The online profile becomes a vehicle for creating a “marketable” identity for meeting potential romantic partners on the internet.
The difference with online dating and face to face dating can only be with face to face you can see if you are attracted to the person and if you are talking to the opposite sex partner. With online dating you learn one’s personality first and their true appearance later. In an online relationship one could be lying about their age, race, sex and physical appearance. The main challenge for the site, however, is in ensuring that these identities and characteristics will be recognized online and deemed trustworthy by other members. This is one type of trust building strategy employed by online dating services. They rely on building trust among members by highlighting their similarities, by matching them with one another. If members perceive one another to be similar in physical appearance, attitudes, and values, they may be able to form stereotyped expectations regarding behavior. Online daters do not necessarily need to have an overwhelming or absolute sense of trust in one another; they only need to possess a trusting attitude, enough to continue corresponding and eventually meet face-to-face. The online dating website merely serves as a reliable introduction mechanism
Commercial dating services have successfully designed a system that allows for
the co-creation of identity and trust online. Through the rhetorical construction of the
member profile using the language of the dominant ideological perspective, the websites
are able to build and establish trust in a comfortable, familiar environment. It works!
The romantic relationship, regarded as one of the most intimate and private of
relationships and one which depends heavily on trust. It is successfully being sold online to 17 millions of people each year. There can still be some trust issues and danger issues with online dating, but finding a trustworthy dating website may be the key.
http://web.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&hid=19&sid=3eb1f0cd-37cb-4132-90dd-9017114f6064%40sessionmgr10
Rachel odom
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