Online dating applications and the Uses and Gratifications Theory

<p>Online dating has become an intricate part of today’s society, especially for the younger generation. Now, more than ever, it is accessible by the click of a button because online dating has gone through an evolution and is now readily available on a person’s mobile device. The most popular online dating applications are Tinder and Bumble, both strictly on mobile devices. This thesis seeks to examine how the Uses and Gratifications theory can be applied to online dating. This is to understand why 1) the Uses and Gratifications theory is a common theme, and 2) the representation differences amongst genders on online dating. For this purposes an online survey was created based around this theory. The survey was administered to 190 respondents aged 18 to older from the Northwest regions surrounding Eastern Washington University. The results from the survey displayed three common themes in regards to why individuals utilize online dating applications, these themes are: seeking attention, gaining self confidence, and passing time. The implications of this research were to better understand what the future of social interactions can look like, and how online dating applications hinder or enhance how individuals express themselves.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS) in Communication Studies

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication Studies

Year

2017

Author dc:creator

• Bryden, Lindsey T.

• Interpersonal and Small Group Communication
• Other Communication

Statement dc:rights

• Access is available to all users

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/453

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.ewu.edu:theses-1451