Deception in Online Dating
Online dating gives individuals the ability to invest their time an effort into creating a virtual site with the hopes of successfully attracting a compatible mate. In the article written by Toma, Hancock, and Ellison (2008), online dating is described as a service that allows users to create internet based profiles describing themselves and to contact or be contacted by others and has become an increasingly popular choice for the engineering of romantic encounters (Egan, 2003). According to estimates, 16 million Americans report having used online dating services, 3 million of whom have entered long-term relationships with their online dating partners, including marriage (Toma, Hancock, and Ellison, 2008). Crucial to the success of these encounters is people’s ability to present themselves as desirable mates, an endeavor that often involves the use of deception (Toma, Hancock, and Ellison, 2008). Deception in online dating can easily occur due to the separation between the self-presented online and the embodied self. When engineering an online dating profile a person has the ability to misrepresent themselves due to the absence of direct physical contact between daters. Without this direct physical contact the individuals engaging in online dating must make a decision on whether to ignore or pursue a potential romantic partner based on a quick overview of their profile. This can lead to an exaggeration of self because it puts pressure on the individual to construct a profile that is attractive to potential romantic partners.
However, for most individuals the main goal of online dating is finding a partner to engage in a romantic relationship with, requiring them to anticipate face- to-face interaction. In the article written by Ellison, Hancock, and Toma (2012) they state three reasons why online daters are pressured to present themselves accurately. First, they run the risk of alienating potential partners if their online profiles are judged as too inaccurate upon meeting (Ellison et al., 2006; Whitty, 2008). Second, most people desire partners who will understand and appreciate them as they truly are, rather than an idealized version inconsistent with reality (Swann et al., 1994). Also, online daters may embellish rather than lie for intrinsic reasons: being honest is a cherished aspect of one’s self-concept, and out right deception can challenge this self-view. Online daters must manage the tension between comprehensively honest and selectively positive self-presentation in a context in which deception is technically effortless but potentially damaging to relational goals and self views (Ellison, Hancock, and Toma, 2012). The factors contributing to online dating cause deception in online profiles to be observed frequently but generally it takes place subtly and is small in scale.
Toma, Hancock, and Ellison (2008) did a study that examines self-presentation in online dating profiles. Eighty online daters rated the accuracy of their online self-presentation and then information about the participant’s physical attributes (height, weight, and age) was collected. This information was compared with their online profile, revealing that deviations tended to be ubiquitous but small in magnitude. They found that participants’ self-ratings of accuracy were significantly correlated with observed accuracy, suggesting that inaccuracies were intentional rather than self-deceptive. These deception patterns suggest that participants strategically balanced the deceptive opportunities presented by online presentation (the edit ability of profiles) with the social constraints of establishing romantic relationships (the anticipation of future interaction) (Toma, Hancock, and Ellison, 2008). Refer to table 1, 2, & 3 in the article.
Example of online dating site
However, for most individuals the main goal of online dating is finding a partner to engage in a romantic relationship with, requiring them to anticipate face- to-face interaction. In the article written by Ellison, Hancock, and Toma (2012) they state three reasons why online daters are pressured to present themselves accurately. First, they run the risk of alienating potential partners if their online profiles are judged as too inaccurate upon meeting (Ellison et al., 2006; Whitty, 2008). Second, most people desire partners who will understand and appreciate them as they truly are, rather than an idealized version inconsistent with reality (Swann et al., 1994). Also, online daters may embellish rather than lie for intrinsic reasons: being honest is a cherished aspect of one’s self-concept, and out right deception can challenge this self-view. Online daters must manage the tension between comprehensively honest and selectively positive self-presentation in a context in which deception is technically effortless but potentially damaging to relational goals and self views (Ellison, Hancock, and Toma, 2012). The factors contributing to online dating cause deception in online profiles to be observed frequently but generally it takes place subtly and is small in scale.
Toma, Hancock, and Ellison (2008) did a study that examines self-presentation in online dating profiles. Eighty online daters rated the accuracy of their online self-presentation and then information about the participant’s physical attributes (height, weight, and age) was collected. This information was compared with their online profile, revealing that deviations tended to be ubiquitous but small in magnitude. They found that participants’ self-ratings of accuracy were significantly correlated with observed accuracy, suggesting that inaccuracies were intentional rather than self-deceptive. These deception patterns suggest that participants strategically balanced the deceptive opportunities presented by online presentation (the edit ability of profiles) with the social constraints of establishing romantic relationships (the anticipation of future interaction) (Toma, Hancock, and Ellison, 2008). Refer to table 1, 2, & 3 in the article.
Example of online dating site