“On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” Since the early days of the internet one thing that every newbie had found out very quickly is that in a text based environment identity has the potential to be fluid. The ability to selectively self-present allows us to display the best parts of ourselves while hiding those nasty habits that we really don’t want others to know about. If you want you can even create an entire new persona.Warrant is the extent to which who we claim to be can be verified. Nonverbal cues, the setting, and commonly known individuals allow us in face-to-face interaction that a person is who they say they are. Online things are bit more tricky because the greater anonymity a medium affords the more we can shape our self-presentation (Walther & Parks, 2002).
Online dating sites are an arena in which many people selectively self-present themselves in a positive light. However, while they provide a way for people to meet others outside of their social circles, they present the problem of determining whether people are as they claim. When you’re trying to pick up a date it shouldn’t matter what you actually look like, it’s what’s on the inside that count’s right? Individuals can be found that will actually help you write a profile for you, essentially choosing how to selectively self-present yourself for you. In contrast, True.com is a dating site that differs from others such as match.com or eharmony in that it bills itself as performing background checks on clients and thus weeding out married individuals and convicted felons. Essentially, it provides some level of warrant for its users in an environment in which it would be difficult to establish.
Walther, J. B., & Parks, M. R. (2002). Cues filtered out, cues filtered in: Computer-mediated communication and relationships. In M. L. Knapp & J. A. Daly (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal communication (3rd ed., pp. 529-563). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
