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ABSTRACT
Online daters construct their profiles to attract potential partners and viewers’ assessments are based on the content of dating profiles. However, little is known about the mechanisms or nature of the associations that connect variations in profile content to outcomes. This study examined the presence of selective self-presentation (SSP) and warranting content as predictors of viewers’ impressions and intentions to act on dating profiles. A national sample of online daters (N = 316) provided their impressions and intended outcomes after viewing manipulated dating profiles. Results indicate that high levels of SSP decrease intentions to act on a dating profile because users find these profiles to be less socially attractive, whereas profiles with high warranting value increase positive outcomes by eliciting trust.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. Prior research has described how race or ethnicity might influence romantic attraction and likelihood of contacting others (e.g., Robnett & Feliciano, Citation2011; Rudder, Citation2015). Although this is an important consideration for research on online dating, it is outside the scope of the current project. Analyses revealed that, in this study, participants’ ethnicity had no effect on trust, social attraction, likelihood of contacting, or desire to date the person in the profile. Because of the potential for people from certain ethnic groups to be selected on dating sites more frequently than others, we controlled for participants’ race in our analyses.