Self-disclosure and Value Creation in Online Dating

Abstract

This study explores the industry of online dating, by studying self-disclosure and value creation and the relationships between the two, in an online dating environment. The study attempts to shed light on the behaviors and motivators for engaging in self-disclosure in online dating and the influence and leading to the co-creation of value. More specifically, the thesis researched the use of different forms of self-disclosure in online dating and how that is participating in co-creation and how that can lead to value creation.
To close the gap found in the current literature, an exploratory case study was conducted, examining how users of Tinder decide to self-disclose, what self-disclosure they like from others, what creates value for them by using Tinder, and things they do not like for others to disclose. The research was conducted by 10 qualitative interviews, that was semi-structured. Through the analysis, themes and disclosure patterns were discovered. These discoveries pointed out different self-disclosure preferences, gender differences, and user validation. The participants disclosed a sincere desire to find a romantic partner and to establish an intimate relationship and the participants acknowledged how self-disclosure plays an important role in being able to establish that. They described disclosing personal information to others, as well as interests and preferences as a way to co-create their personal experience of online dating, in order to create value.
From the study, the researcher was able to establish that self-disclosure can lead to value creation and that there is a clear relationship between self-disclosure and value creation, and that they do re-late to co-creation. The study did also reveal that many internal and external factors can influence if self-disclosure will lead to value. This makes it more essential for online dating platforms to en-courage positive self-disclosure and to offer platforms that enable self-disclosure that can lead to value creation for the user. From this, the study contributes to the existing literature on online dating and helps fill the gap in the current literature.