Communication Research Paper Revising
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comm89revisingneed.docxInfluence of Live dating In Modern Generation and Media Synchronicity Theory
Recently, live online dating has become more and more pervasive among Americans. In the past, people used conventional formats to know new potential romantic partners: potential dating partners are introduced to each other through friends, family members or colleagues. However, the conventional ways no longer fulfill people’s need as the mobility of people in the modern days increase (Finkel et al, 2012). And the online dating starts to be more and more pervasive. Vinopal(2020) mentions the statistics: According to the “study by Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences found that 39 percent of heterosexual couples reported meeting online in 2017, compared with 22 percent in 2009.” The increase of users is not a surprise. The advance of technology made it possible for people to use internet. In addition, the increasing propaganda of the online dating makes more people to want to join as there are lots of examples of successful couples who acquaintance online. As needs of online dating occurs, people innovate new platforms of online dating. Entrepreneurs adopted the idea of TV dating shows like “Love Island” and “First Dates” to the innovation of the new live video dating apps. Those latest dating apps allows people to easily access the similar dating games on phone (Shaw,2020). People can meet new potential romantic partner through playing different dating games. These years, as the article introduce, live video dating apps become the new trend. Media synchronicity theory helps to explain how live online dating accelerates romantic partners’ acquaintance procedure, strengthens post-date relationship and makes a trend among the public.
O’Hair states that Media Synchronicity Theory refers to “the theory stating that some channels enable greater ability to communicate back-and-forth rapidly in a coordinated exchange of messages.” (2018) In this theory, Synchronicity is the most important term, which means the ability for people to exchange messages on the same time. Asynchronous means that there is must “a delay between the messages” (O’hair,2018). An example of Asynchronous is to use fax, or to use voice mail to communicate. After people send messages, they need to wait a while in order to get the feedback. On the contrary, highly synchronous means people would quickly get response almost at the same time they send the message. For instance, face-to-face is definitely a way of synchronous communication, and video chat on the dating app in this case is also high synchronous since people can exchange messages at a fast back-and-forth base.
In addition, high synchronicity always comes with high naturalness and richness. Dan O’Hair states that Naturalness simply means “The degrees to which a channel is communicative by stimulating more biologically natural communication usually experienced in real-life interactions, and richness means “The degree to which a particular channel is communicative by allowing more visual, vocal, and personality cues (2018).” Advanced technology has improved our communication online. The most recent live dating apps allows the users to video chat each others. Since communication through those apps are super high synchronous that similar to face-face communication, they are high naturalness. Unlike the traditional ways of texting and emails through paper or verbal works, people are able to exchange nonverbal cues which indicates those dating has high richness.
In the issue presents by the article specifically, Media synchronicity theory helps to explain how the inventions of live dating apps accelerates the rate people know each other. Taylor et al. (2013) states that Romantic Relationship Formation always starts with the “talk”. Hanging out is the second step after high intensity of talking to determine the intimacy levels between each others. In previous generations, people are more traditionally as they will spend long time texting and chatting to determine “potential romantic compatibility and reciprocal interest”, and then discuss if they want to enter a relationship (Taylor et al., 2013). The traditional online dating platforms include dating website, Facebooks, and Instagram. People are able to easily share information, and other people can comment under their posts and ask for friend request, which eventually leads to the dating. There are also popular online dating apps like Tinder, where people can swipe left and right to determine who to text too. However, those apps all mainly build on texting and the synchronicity really depends on how fast the both sides responds to each others. The time of reply could be a sign of the degree of interest one toward the others: slow respond may indicate that one is not interested in another (O’Hair,2018). As a result, through the traditional platforms, the stage of getting know each other would be long as it takes tremendous time texting and waiting for answers. In current generations, the process of framing romantic relationship has not change: “talking” ( the stage of getting know each other) is still the most fundamental step toward relationship. However, “talking” change its format from texting (low synchronicity) to video chatting (high synchronicity). This change in synchronicity from low to high speeds up the “getting to know better stage” during the process of forming romantic relationship. The online platforms enable people to simulate face-to-face communication, which allows people to know their potential romantic partner more conveniently. Shaw points out that live dating, the latest type of platforms, is extreme pervasive (2020). The representative app of this category in the article is “Meet-Ups”. The users are dating through video on Meet-Ups. The synchronicity of live dating assimilates the face-to-face date as people can see each other’s emotions and know someone through direct talk. Through live dating, people quickly exchange messages and get to know their “potential romantic compatibility and reciprocal interest” (Taylor et al,2013).
Also Media synchronicity theory helps to explain how live dating apps helps to settle people’s post-dating relationship. The synchronicity of live tool is not only a great tool helping people to meet romantic partners. The synchronicity also helps with the continuity of the relationship afterwards. People are able to use the living apps to communicate their daily life. Under coronavirus, places like coffee shops or movie theater or other usual date spots are not possible, so that the live video that simulate the face-to-face conversation provide people a place to date online. In Shaw’s article, Keven and Haley are two app users who get famous as they date through the apps. They become the couple stars on Meet-UP apps. After they become couples, they continue to stream on the platform, which is the way they stay connected.
Some people may question that the synchronicity would increase the betrayal rate since people are able to meet abundant of new people this way. This is the limitation of the theory that we wouldn’t know about the relationship between the growth of online dating usage and the potential betrayal rate growth. As Haley couple in the article states that “Sometimes they even take part in "dates" with other people, on the understanding that "nothing can go beyond a crush" (Shaw,2020). Betrayal is a personal decision. Compared to the online dating world, people meet less new people in the real world too, but there are still potentials of betrayal as well. New study could be conduct to see if there are increasing betrayal under the benefit of the synchronicity of live dating apps.
Media synchronicity theory also explains the reason why live dating apps get into such a trend. It is because the high synchronicity of live dating apps not only allows the dating people to exchange messages fast, but also it allows the audiences to join the communication synchronically as well. In another words, it not only allows the singles but other people who’s just looking for entertainment to find a way interacting with others. Shaw introduces that during those live dating, audience can comment and give gifts synchronically while two people are dating in video, and the two bloggers can see all those comments and give responded to the audience (2020). Live dating is no more a private video chatting but more like a public show that all of people have chance to interact with the actors. Synchronicity makes all those interactions convenient and possible. For instance, Erika in the article is originally an audience to Lex’s dating channel on dating app Meet Up. Once, she comments in the channel. Because the live dating app have such a high synchronicity, Lex is able to see and reply every message he saw, and he give a chance to video date Erika.
In conclusion, the new generations have gone through the technology revolution. Under the technology revolution, the dating platform has changed from the conventional texting platforms (ex. Facebook, Tinder) to the new form of live dating (ex. Meet-ups). The singles now are able to meet potential partners through different types of live dating. Live dating has high synchronicity that simulate face-to-face date which speed up the process of getting to know each other stage, which is the most fundamental step prior to the romantic relationship. In addition, High synchronicity of live dating also helps to keep couples in a healthy relationship by providing them a great environment to “date”. Finally, High synchronicity of live dating make those live dating platforms more and more prevalent as it not only allows singles but everyone to join the channels. The live dating is a fun public channel where all the audience and the owners could all interact with each other at the same time.
References
Shaw Dougal.(2020, September 1st). Live video dating: Finding love
online with an audience. Business reporter, BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53760042
Vinopal Courtney.(2020, May 15th). Coronavirus has changed online dating. Here’s why some say that’s a good thing. PBS News Hour. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/coronavirus-has-changed-online-dating-heres-why-some-say-thats-a-good-thing
O’Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2018). Chapter 2: Communication in a Digital Age. Real communication: An introduction (4thed.,pp). Boston, MA: Bedford/St.Martin’s.
Taylor, A., Rappleyea, D., Fang, X., & Cannon, D. (2013). Emerging Adults' Perceptions of Acceptable Behaviors Prior to Forming a Committed, Dating Relationship. Journal of Adult Development, 20(4), 173-184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-013-9169-3
Finkel, E., Eastwick, P., Karney, B., Reis, H., & Sprecher, S. (2012). Online Dating: A Critical Analysis From the Perspective of Psychological Science. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 13(1), 3-66. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612436522
