While highly pessimistic, Parks offered evidence that online relationships can not only be successful, but can develop into eventual FtF interaction. Sheldon will show that interaction on Facebook offers a wealth of information regarding how we deal with uncertainty within a network where we tend to know most of the individuals in person, or have at least met them on one occasion.

Also, Sheldon will demonstrate that individuals in SNS use specific cues and elements of interaction alongside strategies of URT to predict their behavior. Finally, we will investigate how online dating sites like eHarmony integrate scientific principles of communication and how well they apply to URT.

A general view of the process of meeting individuals and how communication is facilitated will be offered by the eHarmony website eHarmony, N. This will allow us to analyze exactly how applicable URT is to CMC settings and how well the dating service tailors to the different context of communication. Furthermore, we will look at case studies specific to online dating sites like Match. com and eHarmony. Gibbs will provide an in-depth study of Match.

com members to show that in an online setting, members tend to practice similar uncertainty reduction strategies in anticipation of a FtF meeting. Specifically, what strategies are mostly utilized and what cues are critical to the overall interaction. In meeting new people FtF, we tend to engage in behaviors that reduce our uncertainty about the other person.

This original URT was supplemented by Berger by including that humans tend to reduce uncertainty by utilizing one or all of the three strategies: passive, active and interactive Dawkins, , p. Of the strategies listed, observing others where the person is likely to act natural is passive while being in direct contact with them is active Twente, N.

An interactive strategy, however, includes communicating with the person directly in an effort to find out more about the person.

The interactive strategy of engaging in information seeking behavior is by far the most important aspect of reducing uncertainty. This means that as we meet new people, we want to find out more about them to reduce our uncertainty about them.

However, studies suggest that we are also hesitant to divulge personal information about ourselves so easily. This means that as we are looking for information about others, we tend to only divulge information at the same rate as other people do in FtF communication.

This would make sense as we tend to fear judgment by other people that we do not know as well. There also exist some demographic differences in URT. According to William Gudykunst and Mitchell Hammer in The Influence of Ethnicity, Gender, and Dyadic Composition on Uncertainty Reduction In Initial Interactions, there were differences among blacks and whites in their communicative behavior.

Moreover, their results did not suggest that gender played a role in using uncertainty reduction strategies Gudykunst, , p. This means that men and women tend to act similarly in reducing uncertainty in social situations. Essentially, the URT strategy of information seeking was higher in those that were more self-conscious of their behavior.

Other than that, ethnicity and gender did not affect URT in the FtF context that the study was researched within. Next, it is important to understand the early schools of thought and development of online communication.

His literature review argued that this was true because people within CMC settings exert more verbal aggression, blunt disclosure and negative behavior in comparison to groups in FtF settings Parks, , p. Despite the negative feedback from other scholars, Parks found evidence that online relationships can develop and people can adapt their behavior to account for the missing aspects of interaction, like physical proximity and frequency.

For instance, even in early as , Parks argued that online settings can foster the growth of meaningful relationships, despite the shortcomings of missing cues in FtF communication. Even more surprising is the notion that the relationships that developed online tended to expand to FtF communication over time:.

Although nearly all respondents used direct E-mail About a third had used the telephone The average number of channels used was 2. These findings imply that relationships that begin on line rarely stay there Parks, , p. This research implies that even as early in , the internet and CMC did foster the development of new relationships that eventually extended out of the scope of online interaction. This had a lot to do with how users managed uncertainty with the tools they had.

Since visual and aural cues were not always present, the use of smileys and other improvised cues were used to develop rapport with other individuals Parks, , p. Essentially, the way that people communicated online in involved an adaptation of visual cues to textual ones.

By , the growth of online dating sites resulted in services that were tailored specifically to meet the needs to people looking to find relationships online. These services were designed to facilitate, foster and encourage the growth of successful relations that extended outside of CMC.

Her study of college students suggested that URT did apply cohesively in this CMC setting: users who interacted a lot tended to experience less uncertainty Sheldon, , p. Indeed, from to , not much has changed in terms of what is possible within the realm of CMC. While users can share photos, videos and other forms of multimedia, the factors of proximity and physical cues are still not there.

Essentially, CMC settings are successful in fostering relationships because visual cues are not requirements of interaction and when they are necessary, textual cues were seen to be comparable alternatives. Facebook relationships thrive on the level of intimacy within self-disclosure.

This means that the more we disclose to others in terms of quality, not so much quality, the more meaningful the relationship becomes. This supports URT because as we disclose more and trust others, we develop stronger relationships. As we develop stronger online relationships, we reduce the overall uncertainty about the other person.

Thus, interactions on Facebook appear more like FtF communication than meets the eye. As predictability was also a critical aspect of URT, the evidence would suggest that CMC relationships that developed on Facebook took on the same conventional characteristics of FtF interactions.

Consequently, while the context for communication is entirely different in an online setting, the means and social processes involved in developing friendships was still consistent. However, it is important to understand that Facebook offers an environment where we tend to know most of our connections in person, see their pictures and have the ability to seek out information and context clues from their activity.

Therefore, it is also important to study how URT and the strategies apply in CMC when we do not necessarily know or have existing FtF relationships with the other person. Such a case study is other online dating sites. eHarmony offers a great example to understand how URT applies to a CMC setting where users may not know their connections very well. Neil Warren utilized his 35 years of clinical experience to launch a service that would utilize scientific research on CMC to help people develop meaningful relationships in a safe environment eHarmony, N.

Essentially, the important aspects of information seeking behavior are met with this guided communication. Users can browse profiles based on relevant criteria and a controlled communication environment is there to carefully foster interaction, if any. Luckily, research has been done on behalf of online dating sites to analyze CMC in online dating communities. In this comprehensive study of respondents who use at least one online dating site such as eHarmony or Match.

com , Gibbs sought to identify if URT strategies were utilized and if so, which ones. Even more interesting is the issue of privacy and security. Gibbs remarked that security issues were the most important factor that influenced uncertainty reduction behaviors Gibbs et al, , p.

Basically, the extent to which URT applied to the results was based on security issues. As users were concerned with who they were communicating with, they engaged in more information seeking strategies.

There were also other notable results. In addition to information seeking behavior, users also tended to utilize warranting reducing uncertainty and overcoming security concerns. This could be accounted for by the fact that within the realm of online dating, the users intend to develop FtF relationships over time. Indeed, this increased the overall use of uncertainty reduction strategies.

Consequently, these warranting practices mean that security was a major issue. As expected, users who engaged in these strategies tended to disclose more personal information to the other user.

Moreover, contextual clues were also used to reduce uncertainty and find out about the potential mates they were communicating with. Thus, although visual cues were not there and users were communicating randomly, similar principles of URT still did apply.

Users not only disclosed more information as they used more strategies, but they also tended to value privacy concerns more. In fact, the issue of privacy is one of the major differences from CMC within other social networks like Facebook. Gibbs also remarked that because users do not have access to mutual friends as they would in Facebook, considering potential partners required a much more in depth process of reducing uncertainty Gibbs et al, , p.

Indeed, predicting the level of self disclosure that users participated in was directly correlated to the privacy-related concerns of online dating sites. Thus, since URT strategies mitigated these concerns, many users who reported success in online dating engaged in these strategies quite often.

Consequently, we can see that while the Facebook environment is different from online dating sites, users still engaged in similar strategies, albeit in different levels of intensity. Gibbs also reported that although higher self-disclosure in online dating led to greater perceived success, her findings suggest that there are numerous key distinctions in the type of self-disclosure that was utilized.

com members. As users have a choice as to what information they divulge, they can monitor the image that they project on potential partners. Interestingly, users did not always portray themselves in the most positive light as originally anticipated. In fact, while many users reported to be frankly honest for negative traits, this was detrimental to the perception of the other person.

This was accounted for by Gibbs with the hypothesis that users anticipated a future FtF interaction and did not want to take the risk of being caught lying Gibbs, , p. Self Presentation success, on the other hand, was attributed to positive self disclosure. In relation to URT, we see that users who perceived successful relationships did in fact disclose more information as the interaction went on.

However, the type of disclosure was the major distinction. Users who portrayed themselves more positively experienced more success in contrast to users who were more honest with negative characteristics. To recapitulate, the realm of online dating gives wonderful opportunity to research how FtF interaction theories like URT apply in CMC contexts. Drawing on early research from Berger and Calabrese , information seeking and predictability are strategies that helped people reduce uncertainty about people they meet in person.

Moreover, Gibbs et al also argued that since users tend to divulge information at the same rate as the other person, more open communication is the result of successful strategies that have reduced uncertainty about the other person. In a demographic context, Gudykunst argued that there were no major differences in how both men and women reduced uncertainty. However, research papers did suggest that blacks tended to practice more interrogation than whites.

Despite unflattering research about how the internet fostered a hostile environment, the development of online relationships was quite common. Many of these even eventually led to a FtF interaction. As visual cues were absent, users improvised by offering textual cues like smileys. This made the overall impersonal experience much more humanesqe. According to Sheldon , Facebook interactions applied well to URT. As users interacted more, their level of uncertainty decreased.

Furthermore, URT was also supported by the fact that respondents claimed that they could predict the behavior of their Facebook friends whom they interacted with the most. In terms of online dating, sites like eHarmony were devised with scientific principles of human interaction in mind.

Their Guided Communication process allowed for introductions based on compatibility criteria. Communication was also heavily mediated and private so that users could carry out their uncertainty reduction strategies with ease. According to Gibbs , CMC on Match. com was highly relevant to URT.

Because privacy and security were primary concerns, users tended to utilize uncertainty reduction strategies to get to know their matches. For instance, users tended to disclose more information as the other person divulged theirs.

Another common practice was warranting, or using third party tools like Google searches, other friends or the internet in general to find out more about their potential partners. This information seeking strategy also heavily supported URT. Finally, users who used these strategies tended to have more success in developing better relationships. However, it is important to note that the type of information shared was also important in online dating success.

According to Gibbs , users experienced higher levels of perceived success when only positive information was disclosed. Therefore, as analyzed from these responses at times online dating is not geared by chemistry nor attraction but the need to talk to someone who is available most of the time. Furthermore, some of the personalities that are listed in the dating sites are different from the real people; often there is the exaggeration from some individuals which makes the people seeking companionship to be misled.

Online dating often is an expensive affair. Some dating websites do not give an individual full access to the interested party until all the dating fees have been catered for. Some sites charge up to dollars per month Wright Despite the fact that many online sites, not the prices are that way to ensure there is security on the private chats. However, these are still high charges; online dating needs to be much uncomplicated with bear minimum charges if need be.

Moreover, in the event there are charges to be done, it is only right if the allegations are done once but not consistently. Additionally, some companies track the users by offering them trial periods, but at the onset of the trial period, they ask for credit card numbers.

If the individual is not careful and stops the charges when the trial period is over, the company may continue to bill the company. Thus it is essential for the online dating couples to take heed and ensure there are no unnecessary charges on the dating site.

Some dating sites have defended the costs they enroll to the users by noting they always include the charges quotation on the terms and conditions on the site, but many users do not take time to read terms and conditions section. Distance is always a barrier for the online dating couples. Highest probability the people that meet online and have a connection are in different state or countries.

Dating sites have tried to minimize the distance when an individual is looking for a suitable partner but have not managed to close the gap sufficiently. Example, several places have implemented for dating couples to preferably be from the same zip code to ensure they can quickly meet as one of the compatibility interests. Unfortunately, the distance barrier is noted by many online daters to be one of the most challenging gaps to fill as the travel fees do not often come in cheap for the partners willing to see each other.

Moreover, there is a bond created between couples who continuously see each other as opposed to the couples who have to wait for after a long time for them to meet. Online dating as earlier noted can be deceitful; studies have proved some of the participants are not honest in their profile application and this result to expectations not being met by the people Chiasson Often when an individual connects with another person, they also expect their aspirations to be satisfied with full measure.

Therefore, in the event these expectations are not met, there is frustration realized by the other party. Additionally, in online dating, it is not possible to get the actual feeling of the other person as they only depend on online communication with limited physical visits. Thus, many people when interaction online they try to hide many of their feelings and emotions to ensure they protect the other person from any unnecessary disappointment.

Often many online dating relationships do not last after meeting in person as the person being presented are not the same from those portrayed on the online sites. Given the interactions are not physical, then the party is left to create a mental image of the other side which may not be the actual presentation of the person. Finding perfect match is always many sites slogan which has over time been rendered questionable after the high number of breakups that happen after the meeting physically.

Online dating has been blamed for being a perfect site for scammers who are looking and targeting specific persons Bateson What the scammers are known to do is they create a fake profile and input false information plus photos to target particular persons. Annoyingly, the scammers may spend even weeks trying to gain the trust of the targeted persons. After winning the confidence of the intended audience, the scammers are noted to come up with an emergency or an excuse to ensure they require the help of the target, upon being assisted they disappear with all the acquired information.

Therefore, a person may be hoping and wishing to get the perfect match online but instead may be hooked up with a scammer whose intent is to cause damage to the individual.

Additionally, when data is shared on the dating sites they are stored permanently, thus despite an individual deleting the profile, the information is still kept in the company database for future reference Fiore. This makes it very easy for the scammers as they know upon hacking the system they can be able to get all the needed data.

With the technology advancement and high hacking skills developing to greater heights, individuals who have the habit of sharing too much personal information may find themselves at the danger of being kidnapped or hurt as the information taken by scammers may be used against the individual in a divorce, medical, employment of in custody lawsuit. Online dating has been blamed for creating a chopper mentality among the users. Upon logging in the site, the site generates possible matches that can be used by the person interested to date Wright

Online dating is a common practice nowadays; there are both advantages and disadvantages of online dating Brym and Rhonda Therefore, it is always essential for an individual to ask whether the risks involved with online dating are worth. Online dating holes a lot of disadvantages as will be explored in the paper since the only interaction is online to interact with the virtual person without an assurance of having a face-to-face meeting.

Some of the challenges associated with online dating are; there may be the promotion of deceit as the profile may not be the actual person, the expectation by the different parties may not be achieved, distance is always a barrier for the couple.

Shoppers mentality, scammers, misleading for of attraction as the noted personalities on the profile may not necessarily portray the individual among other challenges. Therefore, based on the difficulties highlighted, it is critical for a person intending to try online dating to have full awareness before getting into this kind of dating.

Online dating has severally been blamed for offering the misleading form of attraction. During online dating, it is impossible to figure out the exact type of the attraction of chemistry to the other person. Several users of online dating upon being interviewed noted, they ended up in online dating as they logged into the online sites when they were feeling low and needed someone to talk to.

By seeking online comfort, they got someone who they could share with sympathy and who could check on them from time to time Wright Therefore, as analyzed from these responses at times online dating is not geared by chemistry nor attraction but the need to talk to someone who is available most of the time. Furthermore, some of the personalities that are listed in the dating sites are different from the real people; often there is the exaggeration from some individuals which makes the people seeking companionship to be misled.

Online dating often is an expensive affair. Some dating websites do not give an individual full access to the interested party until all the dating fees have been catered for. Some sites charge up to dollars per month Wright Despite the fact that many online sites, not the prices are that way to ensure there is security on the private chats.

However, these are still high charges; online dating needs to be much uncomplicated with bear minimum charges if need be. Moreover, in the event there are charges to be done, it is only right if the allegations are done once but not consistently. Additionally, some companies track the users by offering them trial periods, but at the onset of the trial period, they ask for credit card numbers. If the individual is not careful and stops the charges when the trial period is over, the company may continue to bill the company.

Thus it is essential for the online dating couples to take heed and ensure there are no unnecessary charges on the dating site. Some dating sites have defended the costs they enroll to the users by noting they always include the charges quotation on the terms and conditions on the site, but many users do not take time to read terms and conditions section. Distance is always a barrier for the online dating couples. Highest probability the people that meet online and have a connection are in different state or countries.

Dating sites have tried to minimize the distance when an individual is looking for a suitable partner but have not managed to close the gap sufficiently. Example, several places have implemented for dating couples to preferably be from the same zip code to ensure they can quickly meet as one of the compatibility interests. Unfortunately, the distance barrier is noted by many online daters to be one of the most challenging gaps to fill as the travel fees do not often come in cheap for the partners willing to see each other.

Moreover, there is a bond created between couples who continuously see each other as opposed to the couples who have to wait for after a long time for them to meet. Online dating as earlier noted can be deceitful; studies have proved some of the participants are not honest in their profile application and this result to expectations not being met by the people Chiasson Often when an individual connects with another person, they also expect their aspirations to be satisfied with full measure.

Therefore, in the event these expectations are not met, there is frustration realized by the other party. Additionally, in online dating, it is not possible to get the actual feeling of the other person as they only depend on online communication with limited physical visits. Thus, many people when interaction online they try to hide many of their feelings and emotions to ensure they protect the other person from any unnecessary disappointment. Often many online dating relationships do not last after meeting in person as the person being presented are not the same from those portrayed on the online sites.

Given the interactions are not physical, then the party is left to create a mental image of the other side which may not be the actual presentation of the person. Finding perfect match is always many sites slogan which has over time been rendered questionable after the high number of breakups that happen after the meeting physically. Online dating has been blamed for being a perfect site for scammers who are looking and targeting specific persons Bateson What the scammers are known to do is they create a fake profile and input false information plus photos to target particular persons.

Annoyingly, the scammers may spend even weeks trying to gain the trust of the targeted persons. After winning the confidence of the intended audience, the scammers are noted to come up with an emergency or an excuse to ensure they require the help of the target, upon being assisted they disappear with all the acquired information.

Therefore, a person may be hoping and wishing to get the perfect match online but instead may be hooked up with a scammer whose intent is to cause damage to the individual. Additionally, when data is shared on the dating sites they are stored permanently, thus despite an individual deleting the profile, the information is still kept in the company database for future reference Fiore. This makes it very easy for the scammers as they know upon hacking the system they can be able to get all the needed data.

With the technology advancement and high hacking skills developing to greater heights, individuals who have the habit of sharing too much personal information may find themselves at the danger of being kidnapped or hurt as the information taken by scammers may be used against the individual in a divorce, medical, employment of in custody lawsuit. Online dating has been blamed for creating a chopper mentality among the users.

Upon logging in the site, the site generates possible matches that can be used by the person interested to date Wright Therefore, in the invent there is a problem there is a high likelihood of being dumped and the other person picking somebody else who has less baggage.

Moreover, when individuals are not able to commit to one person, there is a lot of time wasted as the person does not see the need to put forth the effort, time and commitment in one person. In summary, despite online dating is one of the trendy catches in getting a partner, there are identified disadvantages that can make an individual not to take the risk.

Some of the discussed problems of online dating are, the data is permanently stored thus can be hacked, there are scammers, distance is a barrier, shopping mentality created, deceitful information provided and expectations may not be met. Therefore, based on the identified disadvantages it is very critical for the person willing to engage in online dating to entirely be aware of both the perceived advantages and disadvantages.

Bateson, Deborah J. Brym, Robert J. ca, February 6 Chiasson, Mary Ann, et al. Fiore, Andrew Rocco Tresolini. Romantic regressions: An analysis of behavior in online dating systems. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wright, Kevin B. If you are the original author of this essay and no longer wish to have it published on the thesishelpers. org website, please click below to request its removal:. Need a unique essay? Research Paper Example: The Disadvantages of Online Dating Back to categories.

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Works Cited Bateson, Deborah J. We can write a custom paper on any topic you need. Order now. Request Removal If you are the original author of this essay and no longer wish to have it published on the thesishelpers. org website, please click below to request its removal: Request the removal of this essay. People also read.

The growing popularity of online dating sites is significantly remarkable. As visual cues were absent, users improvised by offering textual cues like smileys. Custom writing from scratch. Research Papers on Dating A research paper on dating? Paper Masters Home Writing Services Prices Paper Topics current Contact. Indeed, this increased the overall use of uncertainty reduction strategies. This means that the more we disclose to others in terms of quality, not so much quality, the more meaningful the relationship becomes.

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