THE FORMATION OF SOCIAL RULES FOR DIGITAL INTERACTIONS

Abstract

The increasing use of Internet-based ‘dating’ services as a means to meet strangers online to potentially form intimate relationships offline, raises concerns about trust and identity. The established social practices of introductions or meeting with stranger's offline are supported by a set of social rules and rituals that have been described as ‘courtship’. There is an absence of such courting rules or guidelines for interaction in mediated dating environments. This means that individuals have to understand for themselves the rules that shape how they should behave. On the basis of the analysis of Internet newsgroups discussions this article puts forward an ideal type continuum about ‘eDating’ expectations and experiences. The continuum leads discussion about how men and women eDaters are seeking to comprehend the rules for interaction that establish a reciprocated communication with other online ‘strangers’.