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What are the real and perceived risks and dangers of online dating? Perspectives from online daters

Couch, Danielle ; Liamputtong, Pranee ; Pitts, Marian (2012) — Health, Risk & Society

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DOI: 10.1080/13698575.2012.720964 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   Australia
Tags:   Australia, Deception, Financial Fraud, Online Dating, Perceived Risk, Qualitative Research, Romance Scams, Sexual Violence
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Synopsis

            
This publication reports on a qualitative study exploring online daters’ perceptions of risk and actual experiences with online dating. The authors aim to understand what online daters themselves see as risky, and to document accounts of dangerous or dubious situations encountered through online dating. To gather data, they conducted in-depth online interviews with 29 participants between November 2008 and November 2009, using a thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and themes in the transcripts. Interviews were carried out via instant messaging or email, with participants spanning ages 18 to 70 and a mix of relationship statuses and sexual orientations; most participants were in Australia, with one from the United States. The study identifies several broad risk categories articulated by participants: lies and deceit (including misrepresented photos and relationship status); sexual risks (STIs, pregnancy, and concerns about sexual violence); emotional and physical risks; and the dangers posed by encountering untrustworthy or dangerous others online and in person. A prominent analytic frame is the construction of risk as belonging to the “risky other,” allowing participants to project danger onto others while maintaining a sense of personal safety. Additional themes include the perception of the internet itself as a risky environment, strategies for mitigating risk (such as verifying identity through photos or social-network information), and comparisons of online dating risk with risks in offline encounters. The article also notes examples of scams, overseas daters, and cases of violence or coercion reported by participants, as well as some variability in perceived personal vulnerability by age or gender. Limitations acknowledged include potential recruitment bias and the lack of breadth across dating-site types. The study contributes to understanding how online daters interpret risk, manage safety, and frame dangers as emanating from others, with implications for future research on risk perception and protection in online dating contexts.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The study identifies limited prior evidence on scammers as a major perceived risk in online daters’ lived experience. It also notes that pregnancy concerns in online dating have not, to the authors’ knowledge, been reported elsewhere. Comparative evidence is needed on whether violence associated with online dating differs from violence arising through other routes of meeting partners.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
Qualitative study using online in-depth interviews with 29 current or former online daters recruited over 13 months (November 2008–November 2009). Twenty-seven interviews used instant messaging and two used email. Interviews addressed online dating practices, perceived risks, risk-management strategies, transitions to offline meetings, and sexual outcomes. Transcripts were open-coded and thematically analyzed, with emerging themes explored in later interviews.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
Despite efforts to recruit through 28 online dating websites, few sites promoted the study. The authors acknowledge that this limited response may have excluded some types of online daters. The sample was also predominantly Australian and self-selected, so findings represent participants’ accounts and perceptions rather than prevalence or causal estimates.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Investigate online daters’ concerns about overseas scammers; compare pregnancy concerns among online daters and other sexually active heterosexual populations; assess whether physical and sexual violence following online dating differs from violence initiated through other meeting routes, including disclosure, help seeking, and shame; and examine age and gender differences in risk perceptions.

          

              

    
    

        
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