Abstract
The Internet has influenced the nature of modern dating and sexual relationships around the world. This chapter provides an overview of these changes, noting shifting trends in dating behaviors on- and offline with a focus on the impact of online dating applications and the use of social media. The second half of this chapter provides a brief examination of certain trends in aggressive behavior between dating and romantic partners as a result of changes in online technology including sexting, revenge pornography, cyberstalking and harassment, and romance fraud.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ajjan, C. (2018). What is “cuffing season”? Psychology Today. Retrieved on 26 Mar 2019, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-dynamics-love/201810/what-is-cuffing-season
Anderson, M. (2015). 6 facts about teen romance in the digital age. Pew Research Center. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/10/01/6-facts-about-teen-romance-in-the-digital-age/
Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2018). Teens, social media & technology 2018. Retrieved from Pew Research Center website http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018
Ansari, A. (2015). Modern romance. New York: Penguin.
Bates, S. (2017). Revenge porn and mental health: A qualitative analysis of the mental health effects of revenge porn on female survivors. Feminist Criminology, 12(1), 22–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557085116654565
Benotsch, E. G., Snipes, D. J., Martin, A. M., & Bull, S. S. (2013). Sexting, substance use, and sexual risk behavior in young adults. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52(3), 307–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.06.011.
Beran, T., & Li, Q. (2005). Cyber-harassment: A study of a new method for an old behavior. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 32(3), 265–277. https://doi.org/10.2190/8YQM-B04H-PG4D-BLLH.
Bianchi, D., Morelli, M., Baiocco, R., & Chirumbolo, A. (2016). Psychometric properties of the sexting motivation questionnaire for adolescents and young adults. Rassegna di Psicologia, 3, 5–17. https://doi.org/10.4558/8067_01.
Bianchi, D., Morelli, M., Nappa, M. R., Baiocco, R., & Chirumbolo, A. (2018). A bad romance: Sexting motivations and teen dating violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 0886260518817037. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518817037.
Buchanan, T., & Whitty, M. T. (2014). The online dating romance scam: Causes and consequences of victimhood. Psychology, Crime & Law, 20(3), 261–283. https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2013.772180.
Cacioppo, J. T., Cacioppo, S., Gonzaga, G. C., Ogburn, E. L., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2013). Marital satisfaction and break-ups differ across on-line and off-line meeting venues. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(25), 10135–10140. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1222447110.
Chalfen, R. (2009). “It’s only a picture”: Sexting, “smutty” snapshots and felony charges. Visual Studies, 24, 258–268. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725860903309203.
Citron, D. K., & Franks, M. A. (2014). Criminalizing revenge porn. Wake Forest Law Review, 49, 345.
Clayton, R. B. (2015). The third wheel: The impact of twitter use on relationship infidelity and divorce: Correction. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 18(6), 363. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2013.0570.
Cocks, H. G. (2009). Classified: The secret history of the personal column. New York: Random House.
D’Angelo, J. D., & Toma, C. L. (2017). There are plenty of fish in the sea: The effects of choice overload and reversibility on online daters’ satisfaction with selected partners. Media Psychology, 20(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2015.1121827.
Dir, A. L., Coskunpinar, A., Steiner, J. L., & Cyders, M. A. (2013). Understanding differences in sexting behaviors across gender, relationship status, and sexual identity, and the role of expectancies in sexting. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 16, 568–574. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0545.
Dreßing, H., Bailer, J., Anders, A., Wagner, H., & Gallas, C. (2014). Cyberstalking in a large sample of social network users: Prevalence, characteristics, and impact upon victims. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 17(2), 61–67. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0231.
Dutton, W. H., & Peltu, M. (1996). Information and communication technologies: Visions and realities. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ellison, N., Heino, R., & Gibbs, J. (2006). Managing impressions online: Self-presentation processes in the online dating environment. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2), 415–441. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00020.x.
Elphinston, R. A., & Noller, P. (2011). Time to face it! Facebook intrusion and the implications for romantic jealousy and relationship satisfaction. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 14(11), 631–635. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2010.0318.
Finkel, E. J., Eastwick, P. W., Karney, B. R., Reis, H. T., & Sprecher, S. (2012). Online dating: A critical analysis from the perspective of psychological science. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 13(1), 3–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612436522.
Garcia, J. R., Reiber, C., Massey, S. G., & Merriwether, A. M. (2012). Sexual hookup culture: A review. Review of General Psychology, 16(2), 161. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027911.
Gorham, J. & Fiore, A. T. (2012). The right time for love: Tracking the seasonality of relationship formation. Retrieved on 26 Mar 2019, from https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-data-team/the-right-time-for-love-tracking-the-seasonality-of-relationship-formation/10150643989093859
Gregory, D. W., & Nikiforova, B. (2012). A sweetheart of a deal: How people get hooked and reeled in by financial scams. Journal of Behavioral Finance & Economics, 2(2), 96–122.
Henry, N., & Powell, A. (2016). Sexual violence in the digital age: The scope and limits of criminal law. Social & Legal Studies, 25(4), 397–418. https://doi.org/10.1177/0964663915624273.
Hitsch, G. J., Hortaçsu, A., & Ariely, D. (2010). Matching and sorting in online dating. American Economic Review, 100(1), 130–163. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.100.1.130.
Hudson, H. K., & Fetro, J. V. (2015). Sextual activity: Predictors of sexting behaviors and intentions to sext among selected undergraduate students. Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 615–622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.03.048.
Internet Crime Report. (2018). Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). https://pdf.ic3.gov/2017_IC3Report.pdf
Jonsson, L. S., Priebe, G., Bladh, M., & Svedin, C. G. (2014). Voluntary sexual exposure online among Swedish youth-social background, internet behavior and psychosocial health. Computers in Human Behavior, 30, 181–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.08.005.
LeFebvre, L. E., Allen, M., Rasner, R. D., Garstad, S., Wilms, A., & Parrish, C. (2019). Ghosting in emerging adults’ romantic relationships: The digital dissolution disappearance strategy. Imagination, Cognition and Personality., 0276236618820519. https://doi.org/10.1177/0276236618820519.
Lenhart, A., & Duggan, M. (2014). Couples, the Internet, and social media: How American couples use digital technology to manage life, logistics, and emotional intimacy within their relationships. Pew Research Center. http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/11/couples-the-internet-and-social-media/
Lenhart, A., Smith, A., & Anderson, M. (2015). Teens, technology and romantic relationships. Pew Research Center. http://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2015/10/PI_2015-10-01_teens-technology-romance_FINAL.pdf
Lenton, A. P., Fasolo, B., & Todd, P. M. (2010). Who is in your shopping cart? Expected and experienced effects of choice abundance in the online dating context. In Evolutionary psychology and information systems research (pp. 149–167). Boston: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6139-6_7.
Levine, D. (2013). Sexting: A terrifying health risk… or the new normal for young adults? Journal of Adolescent Health, 52, 257–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.01.003.
Markey, P. M., & Markey, C. N. (2013). Seasonal variation in internet keyword searches: A proxy assessment of sex mating behaviors. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42(4), 515–521. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9996-5.
Mathews, T. J. (1965). Operation Match; The Harvard Crimson-Online Edition. Pub. Nov, 2, 4.
McDaniel, B. T., Drouin, M., & Cravens, J. D. (2017). Do you have anything to hide? Infidelity-related behaviors on social media sites and marital satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior, 66, 88–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.09.031.
Medrano, J. L. J., Lopez Rosales, F., & Gámez-Guadix, M. (2018). Assessing the links of sexting, cybervictimization, depression, and suicidal ideation among university students. Archives of Suicide Research, 22(1), 153–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2017.1304304.
Monto, M. A., & Carey, A. G. (2014). A new standard of sexual behavior? Are claims associated with the “hookup culture” supported by general social survey data? The Journal of Sex Research, 51(6), 605–615. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2014.906031.
Morelli, M., Bianchi, D., Baiocco, R., Pezzuti, L., & Chirumbolo, A. (2016). Sexting, psychological distress and dating violence among adolescents and young adults. Psicothema, 28, 137–142. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2015.193.
Nobles, M. R., Reyns, B. W., Fox, K. A., & Fisher, B. S. (2014). Protection against pursuit: A conceptual and empirical comparison of cyberstalking and stalking victimization among a national sample. Justice Quarterly, 31(6), 986–1014. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2012.723030
Noor, S. A., Djaba, T., & Enomoto, C. E. (2016). The role of social networking websites: Do they connect people through marriage or are they responsible for divorce? Journal of International Social Issues. (November 2016), 4(1), 40–49.
Oliviola, C., Eastwick, P., Finkel, E., Hortaçu, A., Ariely, D., & Todorov, A. (2015). First impressions and consumer mate preferences in online dating and speed-dating. In K. Diehl and C. Yoon (Eds.), NA – Advances in consumer research (Vol. 43, pp. 51–55). Duluth: Association for Consumer Research. http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/1019800/volumes/v43/NA-43
Ortega, J., & Hergovich, P. (2017). The strength of absent ties: Social integration via online dating. arXiv preprint arXiv:1709.10478.
Rege, A. (2009). What’s love got to do with it? Exploring online dating scams and identity Fraud. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 3(2), 494.
Reyns, B. W., Henson, B., & Fisher, B. S. (2012). Stalking in the twilight zone: Extent of cyberstalking victimization and offending among college students. Deviant Behavior, 33(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2010.538364.
Reyns, B. W., Burek, M. W., Henson, B., & Fisher, B. S. (2013). The unintended consequences of digital technology: Exploring the relationship between sexting and cybervictimization. Journal of Crime and Justice, 36(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/0735648X.2011.641816.
Rus, H. M., & Tiemensma, J. (2017). “It’s complicated.” A systematic review of associations between social network site use and romantic relationships. Computers in Human Behavior, 75, 684–703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.06.004.
Samimi, P., & Alderson, K. (2014). Sexting among undergraduate students. Computers in Human Behavior, 31, 230–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.10.027.
Schwartz, B. (2004). The paradox of choice: Why more is less. New York: Ecco.
Short, E., Guppy, A., Hart, J. A., & Barnes, J. (2015). The impact of cyberstalking. Studies in Media and Communication, 3(2), 23–37. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v3i2.970
Slater, D. (2014). A million first dates: Solving the puzzle of online dating. New York: Current.
Smith, A. (2016). 15% of American adults have used online dating sites or mobile dating apps. Pew Research Center. http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/02/11/15-percent-of-american-adults-have-used-online-dating-sites-or-mobile-dating-apps/
Smith, A., & Anderson, M. (2016). 5 facts about online dating. Pew Research Center, 29. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/29/5-facts-about-online-dating/
Smith, A., & Anderson, M. (2018). Social media use in 2018. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved on 3 Mar 2018, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/
Smoker, M., & March, E. (2017). Predicting perpetration of intimate partner cyberstalking: Gender and the dark tetrad. Computers in Human Behavior, 72, 390–396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.03.012.
Spitzberg, B. H., & Hoobler, G. (2002). Cyberstalking and the technologies of interpersonal terrorism. New media & society, 4(1), 71–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614440222226271
Tan, H. K., & David, Y. (2017). Preying on lonely hearts: A systematic deconstruction of an internet romance scammer’s online lover persona. Journal of Modern Languages, 23(1), 28–40. https://jml.um.edu.my/article/view/3288
Tokunaga, R. S. (2011). Social networking site or social surveillance site? Understanding the use of interpersonal electronic surveillance in romantic relationships. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(2), 705–713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.08.014.
Tokunaga, R. S., & Aune, K. S. (2017). Cyber-defense: A taxonomy of tactics for managing cyberstalking. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(10), 1451–1475. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515589564.
Valenzuela, S., Halpern, D., & Katz, J. E. (2014). Social network sites, marriage well-being and divorce: Survey and state-level evidence from the United States. Computers in Human Behavior, 36, 94–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.03.034.
Watson, R. J., Snapp, S., & Wang, S. (2017). What we know and where we go from here: A review of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth hookup literature. Sex Roles, 77(11–12), 801–811. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0831-2.
Whitty, M. T. (2013). The scammers persuasive techniques model: Development of a stage model to explain the online dating romance scam. British Journal of Criminology, 53(4), 665–684. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azt009.
Whitty, M. T. (2015). Anatomy of the online dating romance scam. Security Journal, 28(4), 443–455. https://doi.org/10.1057/sj.2012.57.
Whitty, M. T., & Buchanan, T. (2016). The online dating romance scam: The psychological impact on victims–both financial and non-financial. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 16(2), 176–194. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895815603773.
Wright, M. F. (2018). Cyberstalking victimization, depression, and academic performance: The role of perceived social support from parents. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 21(2), 110–116. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0742.
Wysocki, D. K., & Childers, C. D. (2011). “Let my fingers do the talking”: Sexting and infidelity in cyberspace. Sexuality & Culture, 15(3), 217–239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-011-9091-4.
Zweig, J. M., Lachman, P., Yahner, J., & Dank, M. (2014). Correlates of cyber dating abuse among teens. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43, 1306–1321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-0047-x.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Author(s)
About this entry
Cite this entry
Semenza, D.C. (2020). Dating and Sexual Relationships in the Age of the Internet. In: Holt, T., Bossler, A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of International Cybercrime and Cyberdeviance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78440-3_49
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78440-3_49
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-78439-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-78440-3
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences