GOT A ‘MATCH’?! THE CHARACTERISTICS OF USER PROFILES OF DATING APPLICATIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14210/alcance.v29n1(Jan/Abr).p70-85Keywords:
Postmodern society. Social interactions. Dating apps. Consumption.Abstract
Objective: Post-modern society has brought about major transformations and challenges in the political, economic, technological, and social spheres. Liquid modernity directly impacts interpersonal relationships, which have been reconfigured by new technologies in a great social showcase (apps). Therefore, this article aims to present the main characteristics of user profiles in dating apps, seeking to answer how these users are different and which variables are relevant to identify them. Approach: An online survey was conducted, based on the modeling scale of Ranzini and Lutz (2017) built from demographic, psychological, motivational, and self-presentation variables. A total of 318 questionnaires were collected and, using SPSS software, descriptive, cluster, and discriminant analyses were performed. Results: The results showed the profile differences between four types of dating app users: "Liquid Human," "The Loner," "The Player," and "The Empowered". These profiles have heterogeneous behaviors, shaped mostly by gender and psychological issues (loneliness, self-esteem, and narcissism) and motives related to sex and entertainment. Limitations: As limitations of this research, we can indicate the difficulty in ensuring the veracity of the answers since the interviewees were not approached directly, and the questions involved personality and self-reflection. Value: This study reaffirms arguments already discussed by other authors about how emerging technologies are changing the way interpersonal relationships happen but advances academically in the sense of systematizing four user profiles in dating apps, as well as their uses and social purposes.References
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