First Research Question • Does the e-dating process consist of dis­tinct steps that are characterized by dif­ferent behaviors? As indicated in the previous sections, the steps or stages in the e-dating process include: (1) constructing a profile, (2) searching, (3) initiating communication, (4) receiving communication, (5) setting face-to-face dates, (6) conducting dates, and (7) concluding […]

One of the most seminal sociological investiga­tions of e-dating resulted in the book, “Double click: Romance and commitment among online couples” byAndrea Baker (2005). The uniqueness of this publication is that it is not just empirical (based on a scientifically designed survey of 89 couples that met online) but also predictive. The major goal of […]

One of the very first investigations of e-dating from an economic perspective is the article “What makes you click: An empirical analysis of online dating (Hitsch, Hortacsu, & Ariely, 2005). The data set for this research recorded the activities of23,000 users in the Boston and San Diego area during a 3 /-month period in 2003. […]

One of the most interesting attempts to interpret the nature of e-dating has been proposed by Aaron Ben-Ze’ev (2004). Based on interviews with cyberspace daters, this pioneering study explored the differences between “virtual” and “real” relationships. Some of the features that are listed by Ben-Ze’ev as distinguishing the virtual from the real spaces are: 1. […]

More recent publications have attempted to go beyond the prescriptive by offering a more scien­tific methodology for data collection and analysis of e-dating research, with some attempts to offer theoretical models that describe, explain, interpret, and predict e-dating behaviors. The following discussion presents three of the most important approaches to the scientific study of e-dating.

Much of the early literature on e-dating (Rose, 1999; Edgar, Jr., & Edgar, II, 2003; Greenwald, 2003; Silverstein & Lasky, 2004; Orr, 2004; Berry, 2005; Culbreth, 2005, and so forth) can be described as “prescriptive” because of its focus on instructing readers on how to conduct their e-dating careers effectively. Still, given that not much […]

Dating, or “adult romantic attachment” as this phenomenon is often termed in the scientific literature, is an interdisciplinary area of research. Some of the major contributions to the develop­ment of the body of theory in this area came from biology, sociology, economics, communication, and psychology. In the following sections, we present the major questions that […]

Theory and Empirical Observations Celia Romm Livermore Wayne State University, USA Toni Somers Wayne State University, USA Kristina Setzekorn Smith Barney, Inc., USA Ashley Lynn-Grace King Wayne State University, USA ABSTRACT Following a review of the literature on e-dating, this chapter introduces the e-dating development model and discusses a number of hypotheses that can be […]

A final problem worthy of note is that online dating has been found to be a stigmatized activity (Wil — dermuth, 2004). Peris et al. (2002), for instance, have argued that “it is generally assumed that people who enter cyberspace to form interpersonal relationships generally show greater difficulties in social face-to-face situations” (p. 44). Donn […]

A unique aspect of online dating is that the site presents the client with a sea of possibilities—far more apparent choices than they are ever going to be presented with in most other situations. Every other person is there for the same reason: to find a romantic and/or sexual partner (typi­cally a long-term romantic partner). […]