FORBES – Aug 17 – A new study published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence explores why people engage in abusive behavior on online dating sites and apps. The answer, according to the researchers, has to do with two well-known evolutionary phenomena: mate value discrepancy, or the difference in resource value between oneself and one's romantic partner, and intrasexual competition, or the rivalry that occurs between individuals for potential mates. Partners who feel as though they are less "valuable" than their romantic partner and those who view dating as highly competitive are more likely to do things like monitor a partner's whereabouts online, delete ex-romantic partners on social media, post embarrassing comments or photographs relating to a partner or ex-partner, and threaten a partner online. A recent Pew Research survey found that only half of Americans viewed online dating as safe. Industry insiders are also worried about user safety; a recent study by RealMe, an online reputation platform dedicated to cultivating safety and trust, found that 80% of dating insiders admitted to seeing an increase in scamming, catfishing, and other bad faith actions over the past year and that two-thirds said their users are asking for more protection, especially female users.
by Mark Travers
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