每個女孩都有個夢想，希望某天能成為光鮮亮麗的鎂光燈焦點，擁有美好的物質生活。亞洲社會普遍有這種女子愛慕虛榮的現象，尤其以台灣最為風氣盛行。台灣過去的10年間，電視偶像劇如雨後春筍般地快速成長，儼然成為台灣電視收視群的最大戲劇種類之一。而大部分的這些偶像劇內容不外乎是講述某位平凡小女子與有錢有權的公子哥兒的偶然相遇，燦爛的交集為平凡的女子帶來人生的轉捩點。從無到有，從平凡百姓到坐擁榮華富貴，人見人愛的，已成為時下台灣年輕女性最喜愛的電視橋段，也同時投射出她們幻想成為劇中女主角的渴望。從2001年紅極一時的 『流星花園系列』 到2008年底剛剛落幕且創下台灣電視史上收視率最高的偶像劇 『命中注定我愛你』。這些偶像劇的成功在在顯示出台灣女性心理對平凡女麻雀變鳳凰的遭遇有極大的連結。 只要有需求，供給的市場就會浮現，aSTAR.com名媛網正是以台灣數百萬年輕女性福祉為出發點而創造出來的全新Web2.0 虛擬網路社群新概念。突破市面網路社群框架，開發史無前例的虛擬平台再搭配養成概念的線上社群互動設計，aSTAR.com名媛網將為台灣女性提供獨一無二的虛擬世界新體驗。透過各式機制和會員互動以及打造一間充滿獨特奢華的精緻空間，女性使用者現實社會中得不到的虛榮心和眾人目光將可在aSTAR.com名媛網上得到滿足。 詹宏志:『台灣還有再做100家網路上市公司的機會』。 aSTAR.com名媛網將會在台灣網路社群市場大放光芒，朝上市的終極目標前進。 / Every girl has a very dream, a dream that one day they will live a famously glamorous life with luxurious material-world satisfaction. This phenomenon of females pursuing vanity is especially evident in Asian countries, particularly in Taiwan. In past 10 years, there has been a rapidly growing surge of teen-idol dramas in Taiwan's television-show-making industry. The storyline of the majority of these idol dramas portrays one thing and one thing only and that is the story of a very ordinary girl falling in love with a life-turning rich and handsome young man and live a happily ever after life. From the nearly decade-ago Meteor Garden(流星花園) to the most recent television super hit Destiny Love(命中注定我愛你), they all share this very pattern and both received enormously high viewership from female audience. Where there is demand, there is supply. aSTAR.com is the solution to fulfill this inner wish of Taiwanese females. With an unprecedented Vanity Room Space concept and an interactive social networking platform, aSTAR.com is proud to bringing this brand new online social networking experience to Taiwan's audience. aSTAR.com users will be able to enjoy the fun of building up their very own virtual rooms with precious and exclusive collections for showcase and, at the same time, experiencing a series of interesting networking interaction with other aSTAR users to win the Socialite title. “Taiwan has room for at least a hundred more Internet companies' IPO,” a quote from Taiwan's famous Internet entrepreneur, Hung-Tze Jan(詹宏志). aSTAR.com, with its virtual space and socialite networking experience, will make big presence in Taiwan's Internet market and reach ultimate IPO goal.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2007. / Title from file title page. Cynthia Hoffner, committee chair; Kathryn Seely, Yuki Fujioka, Phillip Gagne, Jaye Atkinson, committee members. Electronic text (173 p. : ill. (some col.)) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Oct. 12, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-159).

<p>ABSTRACT</p><p>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?</p><p>Material/method: Qualitative method with eight interviews divided into two groups depending weather the person has tried net dating or not.</p><p>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.</p><p>Keywords: Internet dating, relations, identity, new media, digitalisation, attitudes, prejudices, network society, social psychology.</p>

Title: Nätdejting för olika åldrar (Netdating for different ages)Author: Henri NekmouchePurpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate what influence the medium Internethas had on building up relationships between people who have dated online, and tocompare two different age groups.Method/Material: In this study the author has conducted personal interviews with sixpeople who all have experienced Internet dating, and had their first contact with agirlfriend/boyfriend online. The questions asked were designed to help answering thepurpose of the study.Main results: This study shows that in general there is a positive view of Internet datingamong both groups. They appreciate the opportunities it provides, as they get to knowthe other persons personality first. Even so, it should be noted that they still tend to be abit ashamed to talk about Internet dating, and some don’t want to be associated with it.The communication pattern tend to be pretty much the same among both groups. Thereare differences between the two age groups in terms of the way of dating online – theuse of pictures, sites and programs differs, and the reasons for this are many. Two of thebiggest reasons can be related to the question whether the person grew up with theInternet or not; and also to the fact that older people tend to be more serious when theyuse online dating because their time is runing out.Number of pages: 44Course: Media and Communication studies CUniversity: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science,Uppsala UniversityPeriod: Fall 2009Tutor: Amelie HössjerKeywords: Internet dating, communication, chat, communities, different age group

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.

<p>Purpose/aim: The purpose is to get increased knowledge about how the communication had developed from the first contact online to the first meeting in real life and even after when it had turned into a real relationship. I also wanted to know why the eight women I interviewed experienced that the Internet is a good venue to meet and develop a real relationship at and if there existed any differences between those four women who were a bit older and those four women who were young.</p><p>Material/method: When the purpose with this survey stood clear I decided to use interviews as the method to find out more about my subject. I decided to do eight interviews and I contacted eight women who all found their partners online that were willing to help me and answer my interview questions. I did six of the total eight interviews through MSN Messenger and the other two through the telephone.</p><p>Main results: I found out that three of the older women had used e-mail and telephone and sometimes SMS communication to find out more about their soon to be partner and after that decided to meet the other person in real life. One of the older women and all four of the younger ones had used a Community and Instant Messenger to communicate with their soon to be partner, they also used the telephone and SMS to communicate with each other but Instant Messenger was the medium that dominated in their wish to communicate. Those instant messenger communications were also a difference that I came to see between how the younger and older women communicated and the fact that three of the older women told me that they had used the Internet to search for a partner while one of the older women and all of the younger ones told me they didn’t search for anyone at all it just happened that they found someone and came to like that person.Keywords: Internet dating, instant messaging, Community, computer mediated communication, telephone communication, face to face communication.</p>

Purpose/aim: The purpose is to get increased knowledge about how the communication had developed from the first contact online to the first meeting in real life and even after when it had turned into a real relationship. I also wanted to know why the eight women I interviewed experienced that the Internet is a good venue to meet and develop a real relationship at and if there existed any differences between those four women who were a bit older and those four women who were young. Material/method: When the purpose with this survey stood clear I decided to use interviews as the method to find out more about my subject. I decided to do eight interviews and I contacted eight women who all found their partners online that were willing to help me and answer my interview questions. I did six of the total eight interviews through MSN Messenger and the other two through the telephone. Main results: I found out that three of the older women had used e-mail and telephone and sometimes SMS communication to find out more about their soon to be partner and after that decided to meet the other person in real life. One of the older women and all four of the younger ones had used a Community and Instant Messenger to communicate with their soon to be partner, they also used the telephone and SMS to communicate with each other but Instant Messenger was the medium that dominated in their wish to communicate. Those instant messenger communications were also a difference that I came to see between how the younger and older women communicated and the fact that three of the older women told me that they had used the Internet to search for a partner while one of the older women and all of the younger ones told me they didn’t search for anyone at all it just happened that they found someone and came to like that person.Keywords: Internet dating, instant messaging, Community, computer mediated communication, telephone communication, face to face communication.

This study explores the social approval of internet dating through the ranking of vignette scenarios. The scenarios are manipulated by the conditions of face-to-face interaction, presence of mutual acquaintance, and use of internet technology. Measures of legitimacy, predicted longevity, and social perception test for changes in attitudes of the varied ways in which a hypothetical couple meets. One of seven randomly distributed scenarios was ranked by a total of 346 undergraduates to disentangle the above conditions and test for an effect on social approval. Situated in the framework of cultural adaptation, script theory and the saturated self, support is found for low cultural approval of internet dating. Conditions of face-to-face interaction, issues of trust, and affinity to the internet demonstrate clear effects on the approval of relationships formed through internet dating.

In this explorative study internet dating is studied as shared commitment to a common collective activity. Focus is on social formative emotions and internet dating in the rhythm of everyday life. The study is based on an interactionist theory/method package related to grounded theory and situational analysis. Sixty-eight participants of a Swedish internet dating site have been interviewed by e-mail. Fifteen of these interviews were followed up by a second one. Internet dating mainly occurs during evenings at home. It is kept separate from other commitments in daily life, such as work, as collisions of activities might lead to emotional and tension-ridden situations. The essential social process involved in internet dating is searching for a future someone/something. This process is given strength by the future- and action-oriented emotion of hope of happiness. The future is represented in imagination by talk about sought for emotions. The internet daters want to end their commitment to internet dating, while the internet dating company, for economic reasons, wants them to continue with the activity. The internet daters learn to manage their spontaneous emotions; they learn not to show "too much" future-oriented emotions. Instead a "relaxed" attitude, based on the present, is encouraged among participants. The act of imagining and searching for a future someone/something is formalized and organized by means of internet dating sites. Emotions are thus being commercialized in the interest of the internet dating company.

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to clarify and describe what image men and women present and communicate in their profiles on an online dating site. Further has been investigated if traditional gender roles and stereotypes are as pronounced on this online platform or if it offers a space to go beyond traditional formations. The theoretical framework of this study consisted of a social psychological idea and understanding of identity as well as a gender theoretical perspective. The methodological points of departure were hermeneutic and the data consisted of ten male and ten female member profiles on match.com. The results of the study was divided into three themes, the emphasis on positive qualities, the attractive body and project manager to one’s own life. The results showed that both men and women present a positive image of themselves in their profiles, both concerning inner and outer qualities. The results also indicated that a life with various social activities is of great importance, which implies a reflexive attitude towards life. To create an image of oneself is strenuous work in constant change. Regarding traditional gender roles and stereotypes about what is being regarded as male and female showed that traditional, stereotype ways of describing masculinity and femininity exist, but there were certain tendencies that a crossing of traditional formations takes place on this platform. However, the result of this study has also revealed that this happens to a lesser extent than we first thought.