Digital Dating: On Line Profile Content of Older and Younger Adults

Abstract

Older grownups are employing online dating sites web sites in increasing figures. Grownups of different many years may share motivations for companionship and love, but dating pages may expose variations in grownups’ objectives. Theories handling changes that are age-related inspiration claim that more youthful grownups will probably stress on their own, achievements, attractiveness, and sex. Older grownups will probably promote themselves favorably and stress their relationships that are existing wellness.

We accumulated 4,000 profiles that are dating two popular sites to look at age differences in self-presentations. We utilized stratified sampling to acquire a sample similarly split by sex, aged 18–95 years. We identified 12 themes into the pages utilizing Linguistic Inquiry and term Count software ( Pennebaker, Booth, & Francis , 2007).

Regression analyses revealed that older adults had been more prone to utilize first-person plural pronouns ( e.g., we, our) and terms connected with health insurance and emotions that are positive. Younger grownups had been more prone to make use of first-person pronouns that are singulare.g., I, my) and terms connected with work and success.

Findings claim that younger grownups boost the “self” whenever searching for intimate partnership. In comparison, older grownups are far more positive inside their pages while focusing more about connectedness and relationships to other people.

Because of societal trends and stigma that is deceased internet dating is currently probably one of the most typical means for grownups of most many years to get an enchanting partner ( Rosenfeld & Thomas, 2012; Stephure, Boon, MacKinnon, & Deveau, 2009). Certainly, popular news report that more older grownups have found times online (Watson, 2013) with one supply claiming that grownups aged 60 and older represent the biggest growing portion of adults making use of dating that is online ( Ellin, 2014). As such, online pages offer an original opportunity to examine similarities and differences in younger and older grownups’ self-presentations when looking for a dating partner.

Self-presentation plays a main part in finding dating lovers; potential partners make use of this information to choose whether or not to take up a relationship ( Derlega, Winstead, Wong, & Greenspan, 1987). Few research reports have examined age variations in dating self-presentations ( ag e.g., Alterovitz & Mendelsohn, 2009; 2013; McWilliams & Barrett, 2014) and possess relied on content analysis and qualitative analysis. A systematic analysis that is quantitative of language grownups use within dating pages may further illuminate motivations up to now at various many years.

Grownups of most many years may share specific motivations up to now, including companionship and relationship. But, grownups of different many years have actually distinct objectives, priorities, and motivations, which their self-presentations to possible partners that are dating convey. Predictions in this research were based on three key theories—sociocultural theories, evolutionary concept, and selectivity theory that is socioemotional. Collectively, these theories claim that folks of various many years may prove in distinct means when searching for intimate lovers.

In line with the framework of adulthood, adults’ self-presentations may focus on life tasks directed at gaining a foothold in adult functions, pursuing future achievements, and purchasing possible procreation (and sex). On the other hand, in belated life, people may look for intimate lovers who are able to be an integral part of their founded world that is social. Instead of searching for brand new achievements, older grownups’ self-presentations might be dedicated to economic and real security. This study explored exactly exactly exactly how objectives and motivations over the expected life are strongly related grownups’ presentations in their profile content.

Self- Versus Other-Focus and Social Connections

Sociocultural theories declare that more youthful and older grownups may vary within their objectives regarding by by themselves versus their connections to other people ( Hoppmann & Blanchard-Fields, 2010). In young adulthood, people take part in identification research while focusing on self-relevant objectives such as for example accepting obligation for one’s self and making separate decisions ( Arnett, 2000). In comparison, generativity issues are heightened in midlife and soon after life, by having a focus in the requirements of this next generation ( An & Cooney, 2006). More over, in a communal context ( Fingerman, 2001) as they age, adults concentrate on connections to family, viewing themselves. Centered on a very long time of investment, ties to relatives and buddies are of heightened value to older grownups ( Blieszner, 2006).

Individuals’ self-presentations may mirror age variations in motivations for the self along with other. Certainly, the language people utilize whenever constructing their self-presentations may convey such distinctions. Prior research suggests that across many different contexts, adults utilize more first-person single pronouns, showing a more powerful concentrate on the self, whereas older grownups utilize more first-person plural pronouns, showing a concentrate on connections ( Pennebaker & rock, 2003; Schwartz et al., 2013).

We also examined sex variations in these habits. Elsewhere, Groom and Pennebaker (2005) analyzed online dating sites profiles of younger grownups and discovered that ladies had been more prone to make use of pronouns (especially first-person single) than had been males. Furthermore, older ladies additionally could be an integral in keeping family ties or serving as a “kinkeeper” ( Brown & DeRycke, 2010), and also this may expand with their presentations to prospective dating partners.