482 - Plenary Session. Internet Dating

Session Submission Type: Invited Session

Abstract

Using internet dating sites to find partners is now completely mainstream. Panelists will consider the sociology of how this system works. Two panelists will use their access to data from internet dating sites revealing what groups are on the site and who contacts and responds to whom. One panelist will show how race affects who is contacted or responded to among those seeking same-sex or other-sex partners. Another panelist will use new methods to uncover what people are looking for in partners, and how market constraints shape people’s search and contact strategies. Another panelist will report on a survey ascertaining which groups are more likely to have used the internet to find partners, and will put internet dating into a broader historical perspective focusing on macrosocial trends affecting mate choice and family formation.

Sub Unit

• Plenary and Presidential Panels

Session Organizer

• Paula England, New York University

Presider

• Paula England, New York University

Panelists

• Elizabeth Bruch, University of Michigan

• Jennifer Hickes Lundquist, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

• Michael J. Rosenfeld, Stanford University