Natasha Franco, Savannah Phillips, Remy Averitt, Navid Toomarian
In the modern age of digital dating, the way individuals present themselves on platforms like Hinge provides valuable insight into the underlying dynamics and intentions driving their romantic pursuits. This study is motivated by the observation that relationship management and healthy dating practices aren’t widely covered in formal education, leaving many young adults to navigate the modern dating landscape on their own. Our study aims to analyze the linguistic patterns and differences between male and female users, analyzing how gender shapes self-presentation strategies on dating apps. By observing factors such as response length, emoji usage, and their perceived tone, in relation to their desired relationship type, we seek to understand the reasons why young adults market themselves the way they do in the virtual dating scene. The findings in this study will shed light on the complex interplay between technology, gender, and the search for a romantic connection in the 21st century.
Introduction
The rise of online dating platforms has dramatically changed how young adults seek out romantic partners. These platforms have introduced new avenues for self-presentation, communication, and relationship formation that were previously unavailable. However, this shift has also introduced new complexities, as individuals must now carefully manage their impressions and curate their self-presentations for virtual audiences (Ranzini & Lutz, 2016). Understanding the nuances of this shifting landscape is crucial, as the development of healthy romantic relationships is a key milestone in psychological development during emerging adulthood. Relationship management and healthy dating practices are not topics that are widely covered in formal education and curriculum (Lundquist & Curington, 2019). As a result, many young adults are left to navigate the modern dating world on their own, learning through trial and error how to effectively market themselves on these digital platforms. While some prior studies have examined broad gender differences in online dating profiles, there seems a lack of in-depth analysis on how these patterns manifest across the various interactive features of dating apps. Prior research has however begun to elucidate some of the gender-based patterns that emerge in online dating profiles and interactions. For instance, studies have found that women tend to provide more detailed, visually-appealing profiles compared to men, who often have shorter, more casual bios (Fink et al., 2023). However, the existing literature has primarily focused on broad superficial characteristics, leaving a gap in our understanding of how these gender-based linguistic patterns play out across the various written prompts and interactions facilitated by dating apps. Additionally, little is known about how these self-presentation strategies may shift depending on whether an individual is seeking a short-term versus long-term romantic relationship. Our study aims to address these gaps by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the linguistic choices made by young adults on the app, Hinge. Specifically, we will examine differences in response length, emoji usage, and perceived tone between men and women, and how these factors intersect with users’ stated relationship intentions. By illuminating these dynamics, our research can contribute to a broader understanding of how young adults navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by online dating technologies.
Methods
We conducted our own research in addition to analyzing previous literature. We selected Hinge profiles at random, taking participants age and relationship intentions into account. We targeted young adults between the ages of 18 to 25 who have active profiles on Hinge. We selected 60 profiles, with an equal distribution of 30 males and 30 females. For each gender group we found 15 users seeking long term relationships and 15 users seeking short term relationships.
After obtaining the profiles we wanted to analyze for this study, we created a data coding technique to analyze each profile. To ensure consistency in data coding, we analyzed the written responses of each individual, analyzing the length, emoji use and word choice. The data will be entered into a spreadsheet, as the analysis focuses on comparing the linguistic patterns between male and female profiles and between those seeking short-term versus long-term relationships. We calculated the mean and standard deviation for the length of the responses and frequency of emoji use.
We will use the results of our analysis to support our hypothesis: men are more likely to use assertive words and less likely to use emojis compared to women. Furthermore, we believe that men and women looking for short-term relationships will have shorter responses and use more informal language compared to people that are looking for long term relationships. Lastly, women will generally have longer, more formal responses and use more emojis than men. Our hypothesis is backed up by the results of our study.
Results/Analysis
Our analysis of 120 Hinge profiles (70 male and 50 female) reveals distinct differences in self-presentation between genders.
Relationship Goals
In matters concerning relationship goals, women had a higher inclination towards long terms relationship as 22% female profiles reflected this compared to 14% of the male profiles. Furthermore, 32% of women and 37% of men studying were ready to have both casual and committed relationships. There was a notably smaller proportion of profiles indicating a clear interest in short-term relationships only: 16% of the women and 10% of the men. Curiously, 28% of women and 33% of men were Fine with short-term encounters but, at the same time, were not against the idea of a lasting partnership.
Use of Emojis
Regarding the use of emojis, the majority of profiles did not include them, with 53 men and 29 women avoiding emoji use entirely. Some profiles did use emojis, but sparingly. Specifically, six women and nine men used exactly one emoji in their profiles. There were also instances of multiple emoji use, albeit rare, with a few women incorporating up to 11 emojis in their profiles. This indicates a general trend towards minimal emoji usage across both genders.
Answer Length and Content
Analyzing the answer length and the content of the answers also gave evidence that more women used assertive language; 22% as against 14% of the male respondents. Another similarity was found in the fact that 18% of men and women used humor in their profiles. As for the neutral tones, these were used significantly more actively in women’s profiles, 36%, against 31% in the profiles of men. On the other hand, the percentage of men who gave haphazard responses was high; 27% while that of women was 18%.
The current findings point to the fact that men and women are different in terms of self-presenting strategies in dating apps. Females choose long-term cohabitation and employ less passionate language than males, who are a bit more permissive of their relationship preferences and give less specific answers. Finally, both genders apply humor equally, while emoji is applied rarely, being more frequent in boys’ case. These patterns show how some communication traits and relationship goals affect users’ self- representation in dating sites.
Discussion & Conclusion
When it comes to the impact of our research, our findings could enable dating app developers to create more effective profile frameworks that are more catered toward the specific intentions of men and women in their use of dating apps. This could involve prompts which are more specifically tailored toward certain intentions, such as a desire for sex, characters/word maximums or minimums for responses, easier emoji integration, among other features which could better accommodate the communication preferences and patterns identified in our study.
Additionally, educators specializing in relationship management can apply the insights from our study to advise young adults of the unique challenges that they might face in the world of online dating as opposed to dating face to face in the real world. Specifically, they would be able to educate young adults about what different communication signs mean (such as the use of emojis) in the context of whether or not an individual is looking for a long term or short term relationship. Finally, by analyzing the subtle signs and strategies used by men and women to get across their intentions on dating apps, our research enables people to craft profiles that authentically represent their personality and effectively display their specific intentions. This self presentation knowledge could also help users identify potential compatibility or mismatch in partner intentions earlier in the dating process.
Online dating apps have revolutionized the manner in which people approach and maintain romantic relationships, yet there is no established set of guidelines to aid young adults in their navigation of this new world. Signals of romantic intentions are hard enough to discern between two people interacting in the real world, let alone through a mobile device and the use of ambiguous emojis. However, our research on this phenomenon has contributed to a greater understanding of how men and women have created their own set of rules for effectively navigating the world of online dating, shedding light on certain linguistic patterns and tendencies that may accurately predict users’ romantic signals and intentions. While it is hard to say whether or not these patterns and signals are universally accepted across dating apps and the online dating world as a whole, they provide an insightful look at how men and women search for romantic connection in the 21st century, with the hope that future research will expand upon the nuances of these gendered tendencies.
References
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