Profile as Promise: A Psychological Contract Framework for Understanding Self-Presentation in Online Dating Profiles

• In Event: The Changing Nature of Relationships in Social Network(ing) Sites

Abstract

This study uses qualitative data collected from online dating participants (N=37) to explore the perceived social acceptability of misrepresentation in online dating profiles. Viewing the profile as a “promise” gives us insight into why some misrepresentations are considered acceptable by users: the profile can be construed as a contract between two individuals wherein less acceptable misrepresentations are promises that cannot be honored when individuals meet face-to-face.

Authors

• Nicole Ellison, Michigan State University

• Catalina Laura Toma, Cornell University

• Jeffrey Hancock, Cornell University