1. Jayme Medvid
Final Project
Silent Sparks
For my final presentation, I have created an online dating site called Silent
Sparks. Silent Sparks is a very simple concept to understand. My site will be a
combination of many things. It will incorporate algorithms and simple matching
techniques. This will be an online dating site that is also available in a Smartphone
application form in order to allow it to be easily accessible for everyone at all times. The
signup process for my online dating site would be quite simple. For starters, each person
will be required to pay for a background check in order to ensure the safety of all
members of the site. Next, there will be a ten-dollar per month fee in order to weave out
people who are not seriously looking for a partner. However, this will allow those who
are actually serious to become involved for a very small fee. The first month of service
will be free so that people could try the site out without having to commit to the price
until they are certain this site is something that they are interested in using. The
background check will not be required until the end of the first month; at the same time
the first payments will begin. I view my online dating site almost as a game, where levels
must be achieved in order to unlock a new level with better features for communication.
In order to start one’s profile, there will be many simple questions. These
questions will contain all general information such as age, gender, sexual orientation,
religion, race, race preference, kids, etc. Based off of these questions, a pool of people
will be generated as potential matches as long as half of the responses coordinate with
another members. Next, each person will answer three simple questions pulled from a
pool of fifty questions created by me. These questions will be random questions such as
“what is your favorite beer,” “do you like math,” “what is your favorite color,” “what is

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Final Project
your dream car,” “do you enjoy romantic comedies,” etc. These will appear on the basic
portion of the profile. The user will then create an anime figure of some sort to represent
themselves to other users. This will also appear on the basic profile. The only things that
appear on the basic profile are the anime photo, the three questions, the gender, and the
state the person is located in. The user will then begin to create their real, or unlocked
profile. This will include real photos of themselves, all of the information given In the
sign up process, and anything they choose to post to their “page”; very similar to a profile
on Facebook. Their phone number or email must also be provided. After creating their
own profile, they will create ten of their own questions to ask potential matches.
From the starting questions, a pool of potential matches was generated based on at
least fifty percent common interests and common background. From here, a large screen
will pop up with the people who have the highest percentage in common. For example, if
someone has one hundred percent in common, they will appear first. Their anime figure
and their three questions will appear. The user will then decide if they are interested in
“lighting the fire,” or “move on.” If a user chooses to move on, another basic profile will
appear and they will go through the same process. If the user chooses to “start the fire,” a
message will be sent to the potential match with one of the ten questions the user created
in the beginning, and this will be the start of level one. This question will be asked to the
potential match and will be answered. The potential matches response will be returned to
the user’s inbox along with one of the potential matches ten questions. The user will then
rank the response of the potential match on a scale of one to five and answer the potential
matches question. This process is repeated on the potential matches side. There will be a
“fire extinguisher” accessible at all times if either user choose they are no longer

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Final Project
interested in associating. Once all ten questions are exchanged back and forth, the total
scores of all questions will be added up. If each user does not have at least a score of
thirty, they will not be able to continue to talk. If they both have a score of at least thirty,
part of each profile will unlock. The aspects that will unlock at this point will be age,
name, religion, and race. At this point they will be able to decide if they want to “keep
the fire going,” or “extinguish the flame.” If both users decide to “keep the fire going,”
then the next step will be ten more questions, however, they will be generated by the user
through each interaction, almost like messaging, however, the characters will be limited
to 140 characters so there is only room for a basic question and basic response. The same
scoring system will be used for this round, which I will call level two. If after level two,
the users continue to contact one another, based on score and preference, other features
will open. This will open all of the other personal information on the profile as well as
personal posts. However, no photos will be displayed at this time. The users will be able
to message one another openly. In order to make sure the users are not sending photos,
photo exchange will not be allowed in messaging at this point. Also, any phone number
or email sent to or from a user will alert a red flag and communication will be terminated.
Once the users have exchanged fifty messages back and forth, they have reach level four.
Before level four begins, they will be asked, yet again, if they would like to “keep the fire
going,” or “extinguish the fire.” If contact is continued, the rest of the profile will open
and video chat will be unlocked. This will be considered level four, also known as,
“Sparks Flying.” After three ten minute or more video chat sessions, a phone number or
email will be displayed for each user and then they will be able to contact each other

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Final Project
without using the website. However, this kind of contact cannot be made any soon than
reaching “Sparks Flying.”
Much research has shown that the physical attraction between people on an online
dating site can be deceiving. Many times, this can be misleading and cause people to not
get to know the people they may be meant for. We have discussed the means of physical
attraction in class and how it has to do with online dating. I also find an article by Toma,
(2010) that discusses the results of a study based on these ideas. Toma showed that there
is a significant pull and the effects of physical attractiveness on online dating is very
strong. This article shows that the main component into online dating is the physical
aspect. Therefore, I created my website so that the physical aspect of dating is the last
thing encountered in developing a relationship. I believe that relationships should first be
based on connections and emotional ties rather than physical attraction and “butterflies”
in the stomach by seeing someone. I believe online photos are deceiving to begin with
and nobody can actually get a true idea of what a person looks like until they encounter
one another in person.
Also, I developed the idea of unlocking questions without having an actual
conversation and using an algorithm system to unlock levels. I did this because people
pretend to be someone they are not online. The entire idea of my online dating site is to
have an honest, meaningful relationship that has real sparks; not fake ones. We have
discussed this concept in class that people are able to hide behind a screen online and are
not always honest about who they are. Therefore, I found an article by Larose (2005)
relating to this idea. Larose discusses how people act differently when they are talking to
someone online. Many people are shy and afraid to show others who they really are, and

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Final Project
it is easier to hide behind a screen. Also, it is easier to lie about who one is, what they
look like, how much money they make, and ones personality. Online dating is completely
different than dating in that it allows a person to pretend to be whoever they want to be.
With my online dating site, the likelihood of this will be eliminated. My site will make it
difficult for people to pretend to be someone they are not based on the questions and
algorithms.
According to Social Semiotics, a journal from the school of media in Australia,
“technologies are meant to enable us to contact more people, more often, and in this way
network with others. Applied to dating, this would appear to be a good thing, as people
would thereby benefit from having additional choice. However, the flip side of the coin is
that, because of the increased choice, we get a case of information plenty, not scarcity:
too much information, too many choices, too many potential (and potentially
unsatisfying) mates….filtering begins at the initial screening process as daters try to catch
out incongruous behavior before investing too much energy in someone unsuitable. The
photograph is particularly important, as is choice of words,” (Best&Delmege, 2012, pp.1-
2). In this article, Best (2012) describes the problems with online dating. She stated that
there are too many choices for people on online dating sites. That is why I have a rule on
Silent Sparks that each member can never be interacting with more than five other
members at one time. This eliminates the option to be overly interacting in order to be
certain that the potential match is one hundred percent perfect based off of what they see
online. She also states that the photograph has a dramatic pull on whether a member
would be interested in another member or not. This is why I have the rule on my online
dating site that each person cannot view the other member’s photo until they have

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Final Project
unlocked a level. This strengthens the relationship between the two members before
being able to judge the member based on the level of physical attractiveness.
According to the media multiplexity theory discussed in class, relational partners
add more media as their relationships progress. They will normally start with one
communication channel and add others without giving up the initial means of contact. By
beginning Silent Sparks with a messaging aspect, then adding video chat, email, and
telephone, this forces the users to enhance their relationship with adding different
methods of communication without giving up the initial one they started with. Also,
strong ties are formed when partners communicate through more channels. By beginning
a relationship with such a strong foundation as there is in Silent Sparks, I believe that
when a user finds “the one,” they will be able to work out their relationship due to the
foundation it was built on by using my online dating site, Silent Sparks.
I also made the most basic step of my site based off the birds-of-a-feather effect
discussed in class. The users each had to have a certain percentage of things/interests in
common in order to even be put into the same pool of potential matches. However, I did
not make this percentage too high because at times opposites do attract. Compatibility is
a huge factor in any relationship. Compatibility is used measuring stated preferences as
well as revealed preferences.
According to an article by Lieland (2005), online dating sites are a very risky and
dangerous place. There are no types of precautions that one could take in order to protect
themselves against predators or fraudulent users. A website called True.com ordered
background checks and ended up rejecting five percent of their users because of their
criminal convictions. I could only imagine what these types of people would do when

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Final Project
given the opportunity to take advantage of emotionally weak people just looking for
someone to love. Therefore, I require a background check for my users so that I can
ensure the safety of each and every person using Silent Sparks. In class we discussed the
woman who was beaten and raped while using Match.com, one of most prestigious and
expensive online dating sites out there. By requiring a background check as well as a
monthly fee, I hope to only attract a crowd of users that is serious about finding a
potential mate and will not take advantage of any of the users.
I also found another article to support my theory that less is more when it comes
to online dating. According to CyberPsychology & Behavior, “more options lead to less
selective processing reducing users’ cognitive resources, distracting them with irrelevant
information, and reducing their ability to screen out inferior options,” (Wu, 2009, p. 315).
I specifically created algorithms and matching techniques in order to filter out a good
portion of users and create a pool of potential matches for each user. I personally believe
that when each user is allowed to search through every profile and user on an online
dating site, they never appear to be content. There are just too many options of potential
matches, each with different characteristics that the searcher may or may not be interested
in. Contrary to popular belief, there is not a perfect person out there, ever. However, I
feel as if due to the large pool of users on online dating sites as well as the easy ability to
access several users information, users continue to search for the perfect person. This
perfect person does not exist, but there may be a person that is a perfect match for the
user, yet their standards are so skewed due to the large pool of people that they will never
give this a chance. Therefore, I believe by creating a smaller pool for each of my users as
will assist in preventing this from happening. The other rule I created in order to prevent

8. Jayme Medvid
Final Project
unrealistic selection due to a large pool is that each member can only be interacting with
a maximum of five users at a time. This prevents users from interacting with several other
users and they may not even be seriously interested in any of them. I know from personal
experience that on online dating sites such as Tinder, MeetMe, and Plenty of Fish, each
user can interact with as many other users as they want at any given moment in time. I
have came back to my phone with messages from ten different guys on Tinder. I feel as if
due to this overwhelming amount of messages to answer to, I do not personally dedicate
any real thought or effort to any single conversation. I also feel as if there are way too
many options on these sites and it appears as if every guy would be a great match for me.
However, I could be messaging the perfect guy for me, along with fifteen other guys, and
not put the effort into the conversation. I would never know if we could have had real
sparks flying in this moment due to my disinterest because of several messages to answer
to. So, I believe these restrictions and limitations on Silent Sparks will assist in users
reducing the amount of time and effort into finding the perfect match because of less
options offered, unlike other online dating sites.
So, in conclusion, I created an online dating site that is also accessible through a
Smartphone application. I did this in order to ensure an easily accessible matching site at
all times in many locations. My online dating site is similar to that of a game with levels
that must be achieved in order to unlock more features of potential matches profiles as
well as the user’s own profile to the potential match. For level one, the only things that
will appear on the profile will be an anime photo as well as three random questions. With
this, a user can choose whether they interested in beginning communication with this
other user or not. From here, ten questions will be exchanged with a simple scoring

9. Jayme Medvid
Final Project
system in order to determine compatibility. If the score is high enough, they may
continue contact with ten more questions generated by themselves in level two. The same
scoring system will be used for this level. In level two, age, name, religion, and race will
appear on each user’s profile. With this information, they can continue whether to
continue communication or not. If continued at level three, an open messaging feature
will be unlocked as well as the rest of the profile except photos. In order to reach level
four, the users must exchange fifty messages and choose to continue communication. At
level four, also known as sparks flying, the users will be able to video chat. The last
feature that will be unlocked on Silent Sparks will be a phone number and/or email for
the other user. This will be unlocked after three ten minute or longer video chat
conversations. I have many reasons for the methods I used to include in my online dating
site, Silent Sparks. I chose to include a small fee and background check in order to ensure
a safe, serious environment for all users. This will prevent predators or people who are
not serious about finding a potential match from using Silent Sparks. I also did not allow
any photo usage until level four to prevent physical aspects from affecting one’s opinion
of another user. Research has shown that the main component in online dating is the
physical aspect and I personally do not believe that should be. Therefore, I save that for
one of the last things to be unlocked. Also, my method for the exchange of brief
questions or responses was to attempt to prevent people from acting differently while
communicating online. Research has shown that users of online dating sites can pretend
to be someone they are not due to the anonymity of the Internet and the ability to hide
behind a screen. This can also be related to social construction as discussed in class
because users can create a profile of someone they are not even thought other users do

10. Jayme Medvid
Final Project
not see them that way. They can attempt to portray themselves as whoever and whatever
they would like. I limited the amount of interactions allowed on my website and
generated a pool of potential matches by algorithms in order to enhance selective
processing. Research has shown that with more options, there is less selective processing.
This produces distractions with irrelevant information from users focusing on developing
real relationships with other users. Finally, I developed different levels based off of the
media multiplexity theory. Each level unlocks more channels of communication.
According to the media multiplexity theory, people are supposed to add more channels of
communication as the relationship progresses. People are supposed to start with one
method of communication and add others. This creates stronger ties in relationships.
Those with stronger ties communicate through more channels. By building a relationship
off of the use of the media multiplexity theory, I believe any couples that have met on
Silent Sparks will have a better chance of making it in their relationship because their
relationship was built among such a strong communication foundation. Ultimately, I
believe Silent Sparks tackles and eliminates many of the issues presented today in online
dating websites; among eliminating physical attraction, enhancing the media multiplexity
theory, enhancing selective processing, increasing safety through a background check,
eliminating an endless pool of potential matches, and attempting to eliminate social
construction. I believe Silent Sparks will greatly positively impact interpersonal
relationships and strengthen those relationships formed among online dating websites in
today’s generation.

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Final Project

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Final Project

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Works Cited
Best, K. & Delmege, S. (2012). The filtered encounter: online dating and the problem of
filtering through excess information. Social Semiotics, 22, 237-258.
Donna, L. (2005). Background checks split matchmaking sites. USA Today.
Larose, R., & Liu, X. (2005). Are you a different person online?—The effects of
online experience on personality. Conference Papers – International
Communication Association, 1-33.
Toma, C L. (2010). Looks and lies: The role of physical attractiveness in online dating
self-presentation and deception. Communication research, 37, 335-351.
Wu, P., & Chiou, W. (2009). More options lead to more searching and worse choices
in finding partners for romantic relationships online: An experimental study.
Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 315, 315-318.