Misrepresentation in Online Dating

Misrepresentation in online dating is one of the biggest fears, and one of the biggest issues with online dating in general. In the survey I created and sent out, 32.4% of respondents indicated their biggest fear/hesitation of online dating was the fear the other person may be misrepresenting themselves. The internet allows people to present an "ideal self;" it allows people to showcase the best parts of them, to talk about only their good attributes, and to leave out anything undesirable. Physical characteristics seem to be the common problem when meeting someone online. "One common concern is whether people lie on their profiles online and without a verified picture, it is almost impossible to tell if someone really is who they say they are online. A few researchers trying to measure deceit conducted height and weight surveys in a university lab setting and then checked the numbers against subjects‟ online profiles. The data collected suggest that, on average, online profiles trim off about five pounds and add perhaps an inch in height." (Epstein, 2007; Miller, 2011) Online profiles also do not showcase small disabilities or rare physical characteristics, such as a limp or a speech impediment. Separate from deception of physical characteristics is relationship status and personality. People can easily pretend to be someone they are not, and online dating makes cheating easier than before.

It's safe to say that trust is one of the most important aspects of dating and serious relationships. In the survey I distributed, 58.8% of respondents said the people you meet on online dating sites are "moderately trustworthy." 26.5% responded that people on online dating sites are "slightly trustworthy." 11.8% responded with "very trustworthy" and one person even responded "extremely trustworthy." From this we can determine that in general and over a wide variety of experiences, people do tend to be who they say they are, with a small amount of deception involved as discussed in previous posts.

Many studies have been done on self-presentation and the internet, and it's important to look at self-presentation online in general. "People present identity differently based on context." (Marwick & boyd, 143) In different social situations, and different encounters online, people will present what is ideal about themselves based on the other person's needs/wants. Misrepresentation in online dating profiles is perhaps the largest problem with online dating, other than the stigma associated with online dating itself. The stigma, however, seems to stem from the large fear of misrepresentation in online dating. Just like dating in the real world, people are deceiving, however, it it much easier to be tricked on the internet. This does not take away success from online dating; it just causes skepticism, and in turn makes people weary of this extra opportunity in meeting new people.