Poster Session #2: South UC Ballroom
Speed Dating and First Impressions in the Age of Social Media
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Daniel P. Doyle
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Sociology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Over the course of the last decade, social media has transformed the way in which many people meet, interact, and stay connected. The impact it has had on courtship has been well documented by sociologists. Issues such as the accuracy of online dating photos, self- conceptualization, and deception are addressed, (Ellison et al., Guadagno et al, Hancock et al). However, research on smart phone dating apps like Tinder remains incomplete. Tinder is a popular dating app utilized by smart phone users in order to make new friends or find dates. Users create profiles on which they post pictures of themselves, alongside roughly a paragraph of text. This text portion typically includes a short bio, a joke, or is left blank. The app displays the bios of other users in a random fashion. If two people choose to like each other’s profiles, they are added to one another’s friend lists. This enables the sending of personal messages. This paper seeks to examine trends in the self-descriptive bios of Tinder users in Missoula, MT. The way in which individuals present themselves to strangers using three hundred words or less could provide valuable insight into what members of Missoula’s Tinder community view as socially desirable. I propose a content analysis method. First a pilot test of 30 bios would be conducted in order to develop a code sheet. Then data from 120 bios would be coded and finally analyzed. I hypothesize that a self-conceptualization strongly rooted in place, references to things like outdoor recreation, the University of Montana, and the downtown bar scene, will be highly prevalent . In conclusion, this project, aims to further the research of courtship within social media by closely examining Tinder usage in Missoula, MT.
Category
Humanities
Speed Dating and First Impressions in the Age of Social Media
South UC Ballroom
Over the course of the last decade, social media has transformed the way in which many people meet, interact, and stay connected. The impact it has had on courtship has been well documented by sociologists. Issues such as the accuracy of online dating photos, self- conceptualization, and deception are addressed, (Ellison et al., Guadagno et al, Hancock et al). However, research on smart phone dating apps like Tinder remains incomplete. Tinder is a popular dating app utilized by smart phone users in order to make new friends or find dates. Users create profiles on which they post pictures of themselves, alongside roughly a paragraph of text. This text portion typically includes a short bio, a joke, or is left blank. The app displays the bios of other users in a random fashion. If two people choose to like each other’s profiles, they are added to one another’s friend lists. This enables the sending of personal messages. This paper seeks to examine trends in the self-descriptive bios of Tinder users in Missoula, MT. The way in which individuals present themselves to strangers using three hundred words or less could provide valuable insight into what members of Missoula’s Tinder community view as socially desirable. I propose a content analysis method. First a pilot test of 30 bios would be conducted in order to develop a code sheet. Then data from 120 bios would be coded and finally analyzed. I hypothesize that a self-conceptualization strongly rooted in place, references to things like outdoor recreation, the University of Montana, and the downtown bar scene, will be highly prevalent . In conclusion, this project, aims to further the research of courtship within social media by closely examining Tinder usage in Missoula, MT.