Dr. Elisabeth Timmermans published an article with dr. Liesel Sharabi (Arizona State University) in New Media & Society on online dating and commitment.
In this study, they applied Rusbult’s Investment Model to the online dating context in order to examine the antecedents of commitment between online daters. They hypothesized that the quality of alternatives, investments, and satisfaction with the online dating relationship would mediate the associations between online dating intensity and commitment, which, in turn, would predict the intention to terminate an account. The analyses revealed that online dating intensity was associated with greater commitment and a lower likelihood of account termination. There were also specific indirect effects on commitment through the quality of alternatives, investments, and satisfaction, and on termination through investments. Responses to an open-ended question provided more information about users’ decisions to quit online dating. These results point to ways online dating may facilitate the desire for commitment while potentially undermining the long-term stability of relationships.
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