UNDERGRADUATES’ ONLINE DATING: PREDICTIVE INFLUENCE OF AGE, GENDER, MOTIVATION AND COMPUTER EFFICACY

Authors

  • D. A. OLUWOLE

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51406/jhssca.v11i1.1677

Keywords:

Age, Computer Efficacy, Gender, Motivation, Online Dating

Abstract

This study examines age, gender, motivation, and computer efficacy as factors predicting online dating among higher institution students in Oyo State.

The study adopted a descriptive survey. The sample consisted of 166 undergraduates of the University of Ibadan. Three scales were used to collect information. Three research questions were raised and answered in the study. Data collected were analysed using multiple regression statistics for data analysis.

Results indicated that there is a positive relationship between age and dependent variable (i.e. online dating) (r = 0.307); motivation (r = 0.242) and computer efficacy (r = 0.309). However, gender has no significant relationship with online dating. Research question two indicated that the R2 value is 0.204 while the adjusted R2  is 0.184. This translated into 18.4% of the total variance. This implies that the influence of the independent factors on online dating were not due to chance factor. The F value ratio of 10.292 further corroborated this. This showed that there is significant combined effect of age, gender, motivation and computer efficacy on online dating among the participants. The research question three explained the relative influence of age, gender, motivation and computer efficacy on online dating among the participants. Age (Beta = .282; t = 3.982) is the most potent contributor to online dating. This is followed by computer efficacy (Beta = .248; t = 3.267) and motivation (Beta = .181; t = 2.450). The least factor is gender (Beta = .077; t = 1.040).

The findings from this study showed that online dating is real and has come to stay. Computer efficacy, motivation, age and gender are central to the dating activities of the university undergraduates, hence counselling psychologists must brace up to the challenges this new behaviour poses to stable and lasting relationship.

 

References

Adepetun, A. 2013. Bridging gender divide in Nigeria’s Internet access. Compulife, the Guardian Newspaper. 23 January 2013.

Anderson, T. L., & Emmers-Sommer, T. M. 2006. Predictors of relationship satisfaction in online romantic relationships. Communication Studies, 57 (2), 153 – 172.

Barnes, S. B. 2001. Online connections. Internet interpersonal relationships. Cresskill, New Jersey: Hampton Press

Ben-Ze’ev, A. 2004. Love online: Emotions on the Internet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Botwin, M. D., Buss, D. M., & Shackelford, T. K. 1997. Personality and mate preferences: Æve factors in mate selection and marital satisfaction. Journal of Personality, 65, 107±136

Civin, M. A. 2000. Male female e-mail: The struggle for relatedness in a paranoid society, New York: Other Press.

Compeau, D.R., and Higgins, C.A. 1995, "Computer Self-Efficacy: Development of a Measure and Intial Test", MIS Quarterly, 19, 189-211

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).

Epstein, R. “The truth about online dating.” In Scientific American, Jan. 30, 2007.

Goodenough, J., McGuire, B. and Wallace, R.A. 2001. Perspectives on animal behaviour. John Wiley

Gwinnell, E. 1998. Online seductions. Falling in love with strangers on the Internet. New York: Kodansha International.

Hardey, M. 2002. Life beyond the screen: Embodiment and identity through the Internet. The Editorial Board of the Sociological Review, 570-585.

Hills, P., & Argyle, M. 2003. Uses of the Internet and their relationships with individual differences in personality. Computers in Human Behaviour, 19 (1), 57 – 70

Hirsch, C.R., Hayes, S. & Mathews, A. 2009. Looking on the bright side: Accessing benign meaning reduces worry. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 118(1)

Hirsch, C.R., Hayes, S. & Mathews, A. 2009. Looking on the bright side: Accessing benign meaning reduces worry. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 118(1): 44-54.

Houran, J. & Lange, R. 2004. Expectations of finding a ‘soul mate’ with online dating. North American Journal of Psychology, 6 (2), 297-308

Houran, J. (2006, February). Yes Virginia... there really is online "dating". Online Dating Magazine.

McKenna, C. J. 2007. Theories of Individual Search Behaviour. Article first published online: 29 APR 2007 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8586.1986.tb00216.

Oluwole, D.A. 2009. Spirituality, Gender and Age Factors In Cyber-Gossip Among Nigerian Adolescents. Journal of CyberPsychology & Behavior. June 2009, Vol. 12, No. 3: 323-326. doi:10.1089/cpb.2008.0285.

Oluwole, D.A. 2012. Online Dating Scale. An unpublished monograph. Department of Guidance & Counselling, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.

Parks, M. R., & Floyd, K. (1996). Making friends in cyberspace. Journal of Communication, 46 (1), 80-97.

Ren, W. 1999. Self-efficacy and the search for government information. Reference & User Service Quarterly, 38, 283-291. Retrieved November 10, 2006, from www.onlinedatingmagazine.com/columns/2006editorials/02-onlinedating.html

Science Daily 2007. What Men And Women Really Want In A Mate, 7.9.2007, ScienceDaily.

Sherman, R. C. 2001. The mind’s eye in cyberspace: Online perceptions of self and others. In G. Riva & C. Galimberti (Eds.), Towards cyber psychology: Mind, cognition and society in the Internet age (pp. 53 – 72). Amsterdam: IOS Press

Sveningsson, M. 2002. Cyberlove: Creating romantic relationships on the net. In J. Fornas, K. Klein, M. Ladendorf, J. Sunden, & M. Sveningsson (Eds.). Digital borderlands. Cultural studies of identity on the Internet (pp. 49 – 78). New York: Peter Lang.
Utz, S. 2000. Social information processing in MUDs: The development of friendships in virtual worlds. Journal of Online Behavior, 1(1). Retrieved August 2, 2006, from http://www.behavior.net/JOB/v1n1/utz.html

Wallace, P. 1999. The psychology of the Internet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Walther, J. B. 1995. Relational aspects of computer-mediated communication: Experimental observations over time. Organization Science, 6 (2), 186-203

Whitty, M. & Gavin, J. 2001. Age / sex / location: Uncovering the social cues in the development of online relationships. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 4 (5), 623-630.

Whitty, M. T., & Carr, A. N. 2006. Cyberspace romance: The psychology of online relationships. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Wolak, J., Mitchell, K. J., & Finkelhor, D. 2002. Close online relationships in a national sample of adolescents. Adolescence, 37 (147), 441- 455.

Yum, Y., & Hara, K. 2005. Computer-mediated relationship development: A cross-cultural comparison. Journal of Computer-mediated Communication, 11 (1), 133 – 152. Retrieved November 15, 2006, from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue1/yum.html

Downloads

Published

2017-11-22

Issue

Section

Articles