FROM THE FIRST CONTACT TO THE FIRST DATE. INTERACTIONS ON THE DATING WEBSITES IN CHILE

Abstract

This research analyzes users' interactions in Chile in three dating sites: Badoo, Match and DatingChile. Drawing on a qualitative approach based on twenty-six semi-structured interviews, we analyzed users' romantic interactions from the initial contacts to the first date. Women's and men's experiences were compared. Our results show that dating sites offer individuals the possibility of transgressing some of the traditional social norms regarding courtship and dating. This would be particularly the case for women, whose sexual behaviour is usually more regulated than men's. Nonetheless, virtual spaces are also considered more hazardous for females, in a double sense: physical (violence) and moral (being labeled as “easy”). This suggests that similar gendered expectations for courtship and datin operate both in the offline and online worlds.