communication, dating

1. Dating

2. Internet Dating Sites
What are they?
How do they work?
Who uses them?
Are they safe?
Are they worth it?

3. W h a t a r e t h e y?

4. Dating Using ModernDating Using Modern
TechnologyTechnology
Technology on the Internet
where you can meet singles
You can join a website, make a
profile, and meet singles in your
area or worldwide
Most dating sites have a unique
database to match you with others
who have the same interests

5. howaboutwe.com zoosk.com
Jdate.com flirt.com
christianmingle.com match.com
singleparentmeet.com eHarmony.com
blackpeoplemeet.com ourtime.com
Some Common Dating
Sites

6. Some More Explicit
Sites
(Ask Me)CrazyBlindDate.com
PotPartner.com
18WheelSingles.com
MeetAnInmate.com
HookUpTonight
BangWithFriends
Tingle

7. Online Dating
Statistics
In 2004, 63% of
adults and 87% of
teens were Internet
users.
Americans spend $521
million on online dating,
making it one of the
largest income
generators on the World
Wide Web.
The online dating industry
brings in an annual
revenue of over1.9
billion.
(MIT Technology Review, 2013)
(Lenahrt, Purcell, Smith, &
Zickuhr, 2010)
(Lenahrt, Purcell, Smith, &
Zickuhr, 2010)

8. How Do Dating
Websites Work?

9. Know what you're looking for:
Relationship
Casual Dating
Little to No Commitment
Create a profile, if prompted.
Upload a pic,
Search.
Click on (write to) those you find interesting.
And just wait!

10. Who Uses Them?
 In 2000, there
were a few hundred
thousand dating
online.
(MIT Technology Review, 2013)
Now, there are over
40 million people
dating online.
(MIT Technology Review, 2013)

 Approximately
20% of
heterosexual
couples and 60% of
same-sex couples
state that they met
online.
 (MIT Technology Review,
2013)

11. Are They Safe?

12. False/misleading pictures
Inaccurate personal
information
Sexual (& other) predators
Risk Factors of
Using Dating Sites

13. Safety Tips
Set up separate e-mail for all dating correspondence
(Gardner, 2010)
Divulge minimal information (No last name) (Gardner, 2010)
Don't post pics of your children or home (Gardner, 2010)
Use a cell phone rather than a landline (Gardner, 2010)
Set a standardized voicemail greeting (Gardner, 2010)Meet in public places only (Gardner, 2010)
Bring someone with you (Gardner, 2010)
or Be sure someone knows exactly when you will return
(Gardner, 2010)
Move slowly. Take your time before meeting (Gardner,

14. What Is Being Done To
Increase Safety?
Many sites require a background check.
Match.com (Fottrell, 2010)
eHarmony (EHarmony blog, 2010)
Jdate (Dating Advice Guy, n.d.)
ChristianMingle (EHarmony blog, 2010)
Many sites block users' e-mail addresses from
other viewers.
Match.com
Matchmaker.com
EHarmony
Chemistry.com,
DOPA-Deleting Online Predators Act
Blocks child access to chat rooms and social
networking sites at schools and libraries
(Carnegie Mellon Cylab, n.d.)
Government programs where adults pose
as teens online to catch sexual
predators
(Cassell, 2006, p. 239-240)
Many sites have begun to validate profile
info with users' social-networking sites.
(MIT Technology Review, 2013)

15. Are They Worth It?
PROS
Ability to remain anonymous until you wish tocommunicate
Allows for search by compatibility and comparison level
20% of current committed relationships began online(Blancero, n.d.)
Reduces fear of rejection

16. Perks of Modern Technology
in Our Love Lives
(Floyd, 2012)
Aids in fulfilling our need to belong
Allows for proximity to be of less importance
Social media networks allow for more emphasis on social attraction
Dating sites allow you to place more emphasis on task attraction
Drastically simplifies approach and avoidance behaviors
Allows for massive social networks, providing our of our relational maintenance behaviors
More opportunities for openness and positivity, two more relational maintenance behaviors
Relationships governed by different, often looser, rules due to disinhibition effect
Simplifies and broadens audience to bonding stage of relationship

17. Are They Worth It?:
CONS
Allows for misrepresentation
Sexual predators, scammers, and other dangerous situations
10% of sex offenders use online dating to meet victims. (Statistic Brain, n.d.)
Men slightly outnumber women on most
52.4% of online dating users are male. (Mitchell, 2009)
47.6% of online dating users are female. (Mitchell, 2009)
Less than half the longevity for met-online marriages than met-offline marriages.
Many allow for false information

18. Downfalls of Modern Technology
in Our Love Live
(Floyd, 2010)
Cyberstalking and obsessive relational intrusion more likely because it is easilyCyberstalking and obsessive relational intrusion more likely because it is easily
kept obscurekept obscure
All kinds of deception more likely due to ease of obscurityAll kinds of deception more likely due to ease of obscurity
Decreases intimacy in initiating stage of relationshipDecreases intimacy in initiating stage of relationship
At risk for excessive self-disclosureAt risk for excessive self-disclosure
Allows a lot of miscommunication because of lack of nonverbal communicationAllows a lot of miscommunication because of lack of nonverbal communication

19. References
Ask Men (n.d.). Top 5 Wildest Online Dating Sites. Retrieved July 14, 2013, from
http://www.askmen.com/dating/dating_advice_200/232b_dating_tips.html
Blancero, A. (n.d.). Dating Websites: Men's Health.com. Retrieved July 15, 2013, from
http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/dating-websites/
Carnegie Mellon Cylab (n.d.). MySecureCyberspace: Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA).
Retrieved July 14, 2013, from
http://www.mysecurecyberspace.com/encyclopedia/index/deleting-online-predators-act-dopa.html
Cassell, J. (2006). Cyber Socializing" Are Internet sites like Myspace potentially dangerous?.
CQResearcher, 16(27), 239-240. Retrieved from
http://www.justinecassell.com/PressClippings/cqr20060728.pdf
Dating Advice Guy (n.d.). What is the Price of Match.com Subscriptions? - Online Dating Advice | Free
Dating Guide and Tips. Retrieved July 20, 2013, from
http://www.datingadviceguy.com/2010/06/07/what-is-the-price-of-match-com-subscriptions/
Dating Advice Guy (n.d.). What is the Price of Match.com Subscriptions? - Online Dating Advice | Free
Dating Guide and Tips. Retrieved July 20, 2013, from
http://www.datingadviceguy.com/2010/06/07/what-is-the-price-of-match-com-subscriptions/

20. References
(cont'd.)
Dating safety pictures - Google Search. (n.d.). Retrieved July 16, 2013, from
Dating safety Tips Hyperlink
EHarmony blog (2010, May 15). Can anyone here compare ChristianMingle vs. eHarmony? Blog.
Retrieved July 20, 2013, from http://eharmony-blog.com/1942
Floyd, K. (2012). Interpersonal Communication: The Whole Story. Unted States of America: The
McGraw-Hill Comapnies, Inc.
Fottrell, Q. (2010). .. Dating Websites Won't Tell You. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.bloomington.libproxy.ivytech.edu/docview/1285300239?
accountid=41070
Gardner, S. (2010, April 26). Online Dating Safety - Protect Yourself Even Before You Meet - Yahoo!
Voices - voices.yahoo.com. Retrieved July 16, 2013, from http://voices.yahoo.com/online-dating-
safety-protect-yourself-even-before-5924912.html?cat=41
Images - Clip Art, Photos, Sounds, & Animations - Office.com. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2013, from
http://Office.com
Lenahrt, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhr, K. (2010, February 3). Social Media & Mobile Internet Use.
Retrieved July 15, 2013, from
Social Media Hyperlink

21. References
(cont'd.)
MIT Technology Review (2013, June 27). Tackling Online Dating's Biggest Conundrum | MIT Technology
Review. Retrieved July 15, 2013, from http://www.technologyreview.com/view/516556/tackling-
online-datings-biggest-conundrum/
Mitchell, R. (2009, February 19). Online Dating: Analyzing the Algorithms of Attraction. Retrieved July 16,
2013, from http://www.pcworld.com/article/159884/online_dating_under_hood.html
Statistic Brain (n.d.). Online Dating Statistics. Retrieved July 19, 2013, from
http://www.statisticbrain.com/online-dating-statistics/
Yours Truly 2095 Lyrics - Electric Light Orchestra. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2013, from
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/e/electric+light+orchestra/yours+truly+2095_20045477.html