The effect of information provided on Facebook profile on romantic attraction
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the effect information provided on a social network profile has on romantic attraction. Participants were recruited online, and from the student population of an Irish third-level institution. Nine semi-structured interviews were carried out to determine the use of Facebook in romantic relationships. A total of 637 college students then took part in a factorial experiment to examine the relationship between self-generated, system-generated and friend-generated information provided on a Facebook profile and the participants' ratings on a Romantic Attraction Scale. Participants viewed a Facebook profile which varied in comments displayed by the profile owner and comments displayed by their friends. The profiles also indicated either a high or a low number of friends. It was found that participants rated romantic attraction higher when the comments displayed by friends on the profile were positive rather than negative. No significant effect was detected between positive and negative profile owner comments, additionally, a low number of friends resulted in a higher romantic attraction score than profiles displaying high numbers of friends. This implies that self-generated information, the only information a Facebook user has complete control over, has no effect on romantic attraction. A questionnaire was carried out with 218 participants to identify if personality traits of participants can predict which elements of Facebook profiles are considered to facilitate romantic relationships. It was found that there is not a strong relationship between personality traits and how Facebook is perceived to facilitate romantic relationships. Implications of these findings suggest that due to the ease in accessibility to a Facebook profile, people should be more aware when constructing a Facebook profile and more vigilant when choosing who they allow access to their profile.
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