Nätdejting: : - EN ÖVERGRIPANDE STUDIE AV FENOMENET NÄTDEJTING -

ABSTRACT Purpose/aim: The aim of this essay is to make a comprehensive study of the phenomenon of net dating, both among those who have dated on the internet and among those who haven’t tried it at all. Key questions to be answered are what attitudes are associated with net dating? How do the attitudes differ between those who have tried compared to those who haven’t? What kind of positive and negative aspects is there with net dating? Are there any prejudices against net dating and – if so, what kind of prejudices? How does the future look for net dating? Material/method: Qualitative method with eight interviews divided into two groups depending weather the person has tried net dating or not. Main results: The study shows that net dating is a phenomenon that will continue to grow and attract more users. The most significant result from the interviews are the different prejudices that are articulated. The common opinion amongst those who haven’t tried internet dating, is that it’s okay for everyone else to do it – but not for them selves. However, the analyse shows that the awkwardness that surrounds internet dating will probably diminish as more people start use this dating forum. The analyse also discuss how the identities are being experimented with, since internet is a place where the visible features such as body and style are unimportant. Instead it’s up to the individuals to decide how they want to present them-selves on the internet. Keywords: Internet dating, relations, identity, new media, digitalisation, attitudes, prejudices, network society, social psychology