Word Frequency and Online Dating: Self Promotion Through a Text-Based Medium

Word Frequency and Online Dating: Self Promotion Through a Text-Based Medium

Krist Bollano

What used to be seen as a last resort for the desperate, online dating has seen a radical transformation since it began 15-20 years ago. Currently 45 million singles in the United States have turned to online dating to find a partner. Online dating offers the kind of flexibility that traditional dating does not. Users have the ability to describe in their own words themselves and their ideal romantic and/or sexual partner. This research utilizes text-based data from online dating profiles originating in Detroit, Michigan in an effort to understand how individuals self-promote themselves online. In an effort to answer this question, this research study analyzes the correlation between word frequency and self-promotion online. The text from two hundred heterosexual profiles was analyzed from the online dating site match.com to ensure a general population sample in Detroit, Michigan. Match.com was chosen due to the fact that it has the largest number of users, it is targeted at the general population, and is a paid subscription—making it an option for users who are serious about dating. The variables used for this analysis were age, income, and gender. The preliminary results indicate that the female users from the selected sample used roughly 100 more words to describe themselves and or their intended partner on their profiles compared to male counterparts. The results imply that females and males represent themselves differently online.