Together all the bad things will disappear, I find my partner: Phenomenology study of online dating

Abstract

The use of online dating applications has become a phenomenal social norm that is popular among the community of active social media users. Online dating activities are supported by the advancement of technology which resulted in an abundance of affordable smartphones, hence everybody can easily find and meet locals as well as foreigners, which eventually might establish a more serious relationship. This research aims to explore how an individual who is online dating addresses all the constraints and barriers the users experience and the motivation underlying the user in online dating to establish a relationship with the partner, which is certainly different from offline (classic) relationships. The research method used is a qualitative approach to the type of descriptive phenomenology. The number of subjects in this study was 8 people (3 men and 5 women), who had an online dating relationship with someone from abroad. The results showed that some couples chose to learn to understand the culture and their limitations in establishing the relationship. Besides, some subjects chose to learn the language of their partner and spending more time with their partner who had a regional time difference. The subjects had almost the same motivation in deciding to go for online dating. The fundamental thing that becomes a driver of an online dating relationship comes from the individual's owns’ desire to fulfill the needs of establishing a relationship with others to gain much-needed attention, love, care, and compassion.