Journal Article

Searching for a Mate: The Rise of the Internet as a Social Intermediary

Rosenfeld, Michael J., Thomas, Reuben J.

2012

Overview

This article explores how the efficiency of Internet search is changing the way Americans find romantic partners. We use a new data source, the How Couples Meet and Stay Together survey. Results show that for 60 years, family and grade school have been steadily declining in their influence over the dating market. In the past 15 years, the rise of the Internet has partly displaced not only family and school, but also neighborhood, friends, and the workplace as venues for meeting partners. The Internet increasingly allows Americans to meet and form relationships with perfect strangers, that is, people with whom they had no previous social tie. Individuals who face a thin market for potential partners, such as gays, lesbians, and middle-aged heterosexuals, are especially likely to meet partners online. One result of the increasing importance of the Internet in meeting partners is that adults with Internet access at home are substantially more likely to have partners, even after controlling for other factors. Partnership rate has increased during the Internet era (consistent with Internet efficiency of search) for same-sex couples, but the heterosexual partnership rate has been flat.

• Publisher: Sage Publications,SAGE Publications,American Sociological Association
• Subject: Access / Adults / Americans / Churches / Collaboration / College Students / Communications technology / Computer Mediated Communication / Couples / Dating / Efficiency / Families & family life / Family / Family school relationship / Female homosexuality / Friendship / Gays & lesbians / Heterosexuality / Homosexuality / Internet / Internet access / Interpersonal attraction / Interpersonal relations / Lesbianism / Markets / Meetings / Men / Middle age / Middle Aged Adults / Neighborhoods / Personal relationships / Romantic relationships / Same sex marriage / Schools / Secondary schools / Single persons / Social dating / Social impact / Social influence / Social integration. Social relations. Social participation / Social networks / Social organization. Social system. Social structure / Sociocultural Patterns / Sociology / Strangers / Studies / Telecommunications / Telephone Communications Industry / Telephone directories / Telephones / U.S.A / Unemployment / Work place / Workplaces / World Wide Web