” communication must be addressed to Eden M. Davis, MA, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton St, avoid A2702, Austin, TX 78712-1248. Email: eden. Davis@utexas.edu.
” Choice Editor: Bob Knight, PhD
Eden M. Davis, Karen L. Fingerman, Digital Dating: on line Profile information of Older and Younger grownups, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Volume 71, Issue 6, November 2016, Pages 959–967, https: //doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbv042
Abstract
Older grownups are employing internet dating internet sites in increasing figures. Grownups of different ages may share motivations for companionship and affection, but profiles that are dating expose variations in grownups’ objectives. Theories addressing age-related alterations in inspiration claim that more youthful grownups will probably emphasize on their own, achievements, attractiveness, and sex. Older grownups will likely promote themselves absolutely and stress their relationships that are existing wellness.
We accumulated 4,000 profiles that single parent dating site are dating two popular web sites to look at age variations in self-presentations. We utilized stratified sampling to get a sample similarly split by sex, aged 18–95 years. We identified 12 themes into the profiles Linguistic that is using Inquiry term Count software (Pennebaker, Booth, & Francis, 2007).
Regression analyses revealed that older grownups had been almost certainly going to make use of first-person plural pronouns ( e.g., we, our) and terms related to health insurance and good feelings. Young grownups had been prone to make use of first-person single pronouns (e.g., I, my) and terms connected with work and accomplishment.
Findings claim that more youthful grownups improve the “self” whenever looking for romantic partnership. On the other hand, older grownups tend to be more good within their pages while focusing more on connectedness and relationships to other people.
As a result of societal trends and stigma that is deceased internet dating is currently probably one of the most typical methods for adults of all of the many years to get a intimate partner (Rosenfeld & Thomas, 2012; Stephure, Boon, MacKinnon, & Deveau, 2009). Certainly, popular news report that more older grownups have found dates online (Watson, 2013) with one supply claiming that grownups aged 60 and older represent the greatest growing section of grownups making use of dating that is online (Ellin, 2014). As such, online profiles provide a distinctive possibility to examine similarities and variations in younger and older grownups’ self-presentations when searching for a partner that is dating.
Self-presentation plays a role that is central finding dating partners; potential lovers utilize this information to determine whether to begin 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 also have relied on content analysis and analysis that is qualitative. A systematic analysis that is quantitative of language grownups used in dating pages may further illuminate motivations up to now at different ages.
Grownups of all of the many years may share particular motivations up to now, including companionship and love. Nonetheless, adults of various ages have actually distinct objectives, priorities, and motivations, which their self-presentations to prospective dating partners may convey. Predictions in this research had been produced by three key theories—sociocultural theories, evolutionary concept, and selectivity theory that is socioemotional. Collectively, these theories claim that individuals of various many years may promote themselves in distinct methods whenever looking for intimate lovers.
On the basis of the framework of adulthood, adults’ self-presentations may focus on life tasks geared towards gaining a foothold in adult functions, pursuing future achievements, and purchasing possible procreation (and sex). On the other hand, in belated life, individuals may look for intimate lovers who are able to be a part of their founded world that is social. As opposed to searching for brand brand brand new achievements, older grownups’ self-presentations could be dedicated to monetary and stability that is physical. This study explored just just how objectives and motivations throughout the expected life could be highly relevant to grownups’ presentations in their profile content.
Self- Versus Other-Focus and Social Connections
Sociocultural theories claim 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 and concentrate on self-relevant goals such as for example accepting obligation for one’s self and making decisions that are independentArnett, 2000). On the other hand, generativity issues are heightened in midlife and soon after life, by having a focus in the requirements associated with next generation (An & Cooney, 2006). Furthermore, in a communal context (Fingerman, 2001) as they age, adults concentrate on connections to family, viewing themselves. According to a lifetime of investment, ties to relatives and buddies are of heightened value to older grownups (Blieszner, 2006).
Individuals self-presentations that are mirror age variations in motivations for the self along with other. Indeed, the language individuals use when constructing their self-presentations may convey differences that are such. Prior research suggests that across a number of contexts, adults utilize more first-person single pronouns, showing a more powerful concentrate on the self, whereas older adults use more first-person plural pronouns, showing a give attention to connections (Pennebaker & rock, 2003; Schwartz et al., 2013).
We additionally examined sex variations in these patterns. Elsewhere, Groom and Pennebaker (2005) analyzed internet dating pages of more youthful adults and discovered that ladies had been very likely to utilize pronouns (especially first-person singular) than were males. Furthermore, older ladies additionally can be a vital in keeping household ties or serving being a “kinkeeper” (Brown & DeRycke, 2010), and also this may expand for their presentations to prospective dating partners.