When Online Dating Partners Meet Offline: The Effect of Modality Switching on Relational Communication Between Online Daters
Abstract
Despite the popularity of online dating sites, little is known about what occurs when online dating partners choose to communicate offline. Drawing upon the modality switching perspective, the present study assessed a national sample of online daters to determine whether face-to-face (FtF) relational outcomes could be predicted by the amount of online communication prior to the initial FtF meeting. Results were consistent with the hypothesized curvilinear relationship between the amount of online communication and perceptions of relational messages (intimacy, composure, informality, social orientation), forecasts of the future of the relationship, and information seeking behavior when meeting their partner FtF. The results provide support for the modality switching perspective, and offer important insight for online daters.
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Minimal cues present in the platform created adaptable users.
“The minimal cues that were present in the platform created adaptable users (Gibbs et al., 2006; Ramirez et al., 2015).”
From Mobile Sexuality: Presentations of Young Filipinos in Dating Apps (2020) · cites this paper as Ramirez et al., 2015
Cites
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“According to the hyperpersonal perspective (Walther, 1996), this combination of selective self-presentation, channel characteristics (e.g., textual communication), receiver feedback, and message malleability, especially in the context of long-term interaction, creates a ripe environment for such an…”
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Relationshopping: Investigating the market metaphor in online dating
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Mobile Sexuality: Presentations of Young Filipinos in Dating Apps
Labor, J. (2020) · Plaridel · doi:10.52518/2020.17.1-09labor · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Ghosting and breadcrumbing: prevalence and relations with online dating behaviors among young adults
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- Authors
- Ramirez, A., Bryant Sumner, E. M., Fleuriet, C., & Cole, M.
- Affiliations
- University of South Florida (US)
- Department of Human Communication and Theatre; Trinity University; One Trinity Place San Antonio TX 78212-7200
- Arizona State University (US)
- 625 North Washington Street, Suite 450 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-1930
- Venue
- Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2014-09-17
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 99-114
- ISSN
- 1083-6101 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2137805816
- Cited by
- 140
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 12.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (publishedVersion)
- Digital Commons - Trinity University (Trinity University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Digital Communication and Language
- Social Sciences › Education › Online and Blended Learning
- Keywords
- online dating, modality switching, face-to-face communication, relational communication, online communication, intimacy, information seeking, social orientation, composure, informality
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