Revija za sociologiju, Vol. 45 No. 1, 2015.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.5613/rzs.45.1.2
Finding a Partner in the Virtual Environment: Motives and Psychosocial Characteristics of Online Dating Site Users in Croatia
Antonia Matković
orcid.org/0000-0001-5310-4012
; Udruga Mi, Split, Hrvatska
Ivan Landripet
orcid.org/0000-0002-6276-9742
; Odsjek za sociologiju, Filozofski fakultet, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Hrvatska
Sažetak
Contemporary lifestyles and availability of information and communications technologies underlie changes in the way that intimate relationships are being established. Among other indicators, this is evident from the rising popularity of online dating over the more traditional intermediaries in meeting partners. To explore basic motives, sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics, stereotypes, and outcomes associated with the use of online dating sites (ODS) in Croatia, an online survey was carried out in 2014 on a sample of 594 ODS users and non-users. It was the first study that focused on ODS use in Croatia. Results indicated that – irrespective of gender – about 90% of ODS users met face-to-face with people they had previously made contacts with over ODS. The majority among them established romantic relationships, became friends, or engaged in sexual intercourse following offline meetings. Although most of the non-users scored low on stigmatizing stereotypes associated with ODS use, the ODS users tended to report keeping their ODS-related activities a secret to avoid being labelled desperate or deviant. Both bivariate and multivariate procedures indicated that lower sociability, lower self-esteem, and higher sexual compulsivity were associated with ODS use, but the effect was small. No evidence of differences between ODS users and non-users was found on most of the other measured characteristics. This points to a conclusion that ODS use represents a practical alternative to conventional means of meeting partners rather than a pairing strategy favoured by people with uncommon preferences and traits. The authors discuss study limitations and provide guidelines for future research of ODS use as a growing yet currently under-researched social phenomenon in Croatia.
Ključne riječi
online dating sites; the Internet; self-esteem; sociability; dating anxiety; sexual compulsivity
Hrčak ID:
142960
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.4.2015.
Posjeta: 5.253 *