1) The document summarizes research from a large study on how couples use the internet and how it impacts their relationships. It examined topics like where online couples meet, how they maintain their relationships online, perceptions of appropriate online behavior, and monitoring of partners' online activities. 2) Key findings include women being more concerned about time spent online and online behaviors, and more likely to monitor their partners' activities. Age was also related to decreased monitoring and increased relationship satisfaction. 3) The research was conducted through an online survey of over 35 countries and provides opportunities to study the theoretical role of the internet in relationships and for future academic research partnerships.

1. Me, My Spouse and the Internet: Reconfiguring Partners and Relationships Bill Dutton & Nai Li

2. eHarmony and the OIILos Angeles British ConsulModel for DatingBusiness OpportunitiesGrowing into UK MarketMatching with OIIeHarmonyLocal, cultural sensitivityBrandingData Protection IssuesOII Online Dating? Reconfiguring AccessInteresting CaseCapacity Building

3. Supported by eHarmony (2008—2013)

4. Phase I (Feb 2008—Feb 2009): Project design and pre-testing

5. Phase II (Feb 2009—Mar 2011): Main fieldwork

6. Phase III (Mar 2011 – Feb 2013): Worldwide

7. 36 country, Pan-European surveyMe, My Spouse and the Internet Study

8. Questionnaire development: cognitive interview & focus group interviews -- qualitative studyOnline survey : sample recruited by SSI & Toluna

9. Fieldwork: two phases

10. Phase I: Australia, Spain, UK and USA -- SSI

11. Phase II: three waves -- TolunaWave 1: Mar - May 2010 (16 countries, 9 Languages) Wave 2: June - July 2010 ( Brazil and Japan )Wave 3: Nov 2010 - Feb 2011 ( Eastern Europe and Asia)Research Design and Method

12. Online survey development and issues

13. Survey software

14. DatStatIlume toLimesurvey

15. The questionnaire

16. 45 minutes for individuals / 90 minutes for couples

17. Only couple completions is treated as a complete

18. Multiple language options for most European countriesResearch Design and Method

19. Role of the Internet in romantic relationships

20. Attraction and selection

21. Maintaining relationships

22. NetiquetteResearch Questions

23. Attraction and selection

24. Where do ‘we’ meet?

25. Do ‘we’ meet different people online?

26. Maintaining relationships

27. Which tools do ‘we’ use to communicate?

28. What do ‘we’ communicate about on the Internet?

29. Netiquette:

30. Which expectations do ‘we ‘have about online behaviour (of our partners)

31. What do ‘we’ consider acceptable online behaviour?Research Questions

32. Reconfiguring accessDo couples who met offline differ from those who met online? Does the Internet shape selection?

33. Expectation – Hypothesis?Reconfiguring access

34. Sample and Design (Case study: UK & Australia)

35. Sample Composition

36. Attraction and SelectionQuestion: Did you first meet your current partner online or offline?

37. Age groups of couples who met onlineQuestion: Did you first meet your current partner online or offline? In what year were you born?

38. Where did online couples meetQuestion: Did you first meet your current partner online or offline? Where online did you meet?

39. Couples who met online by Age DifferenceQuestion: In what year were you born?

40. Couples who met online by Education DifferenceQuestion: What is the highest level of education that you have attained?

41. Importance of Partner’s AttributesQuestion: When you think about your marriage, how important are the following attributes?

42. Couples who met online by Differences in InterestsQuestion: Please use the scale (1-5) below to rate your interest in the following things.

43. Commercial Meets Academic ResearchDegrees?Time horizons?DeadlinesPredictability: unanticipated changesBrandingAnd more …Opportunities for Academic Research?

44. Maintaining relationshipsOnline relationships: Debilitating or liberating?

45. Truth/Lies paradox

46. Social Scripts for relationshipsMaintaining relationships

47. Managing relationshipsWhat explains which media people use to discuss problemsPeople with more digital skills are more likely to use technologies to discuss problems in the relationship (independent of how long they’ve used the Internet)Younger people discuss problems more frequently face to face than older people, but there is no difference in their use of email or instant messaging (IM) for communicating about problemsCouples with higher marital satisfaction are more likely to discuss problems when they can get instant feedback (face to face or through IM, but not through email)Increases in marital conflict and avoidance behaviour increases communication through email and instant messaging but not face to face communicationDiscussing problems face to face is linked to less frequent discussion of problems through email and IMA tendency to discuss problems through one ICT (Phone, SMS) is linked to discussing problems through other ICTs as well and is related to less frequent discussion of problems face to face.

48. Netiquette: General useDo you ever spend too much time online?The majority couples have similar perceptions of the time they spent online

49. 43% of couples has dissimilar time use patterns – Cause for conflict?

50. Does it matter whether husband or wife is evaluated?Base. All couples who completed more than 90% of survey (N=929)

51. Netiquette: Differences in useBase. All couples who completed more than 90% of survey (N=929)It seems that women are more worried about the time they and their husbands spend onlineDo you ever feel that you spend too much time on the Internet?Do you feel that your partner spends too much time on the Internet?

52. Netiquette: Different activities (OxIS)Activities in the last year. Internet Users: OxIS 2007 N=1,578

53. Netiquette: Acceptability infidelityHow would you feel if your partner engaged in the following activities on the Internet?(Unhappy/Don’t care/Happy) emotional infidelity

54. physical infidelityNetiquette: Acceptability InfidelityHow would you feel if your partner engaged in the following activities on the Internet?Physical infidelityEmotional infidelityBase. All couples who completed more than 90% of survey (N=929)

55. Netiquette: Specific activities - differencesWhen partners in a couple disagree it is more likely that the husband finds a certain behaviour acceptable in his wife than that the wife finds it acceptable in her husband This is especially true for viewing of ‘adult’ sitesBase. All couples who completed more than 90% of survey (N=929)

56. Netiquette: MonitoringHave you ever checked up on your partner’s activities without them knowing, by doing the following?‘Reading their emails’ (20%), ‘Reading their SMS’(20%), ‘Checking their browser history’ (13%), ‘Reading their IM logs’(5%), ‘Using monitoring software’(2%), and ‘By pretending to be another person’(1%)

57. Monitoring: SimilaritiesIn 73% of couples there is similar surveillance behaviour between partners

58. In 44% of couples at least one of the partners monitors the other partner’s behaviourHusband only monitorWife only monitorNo surveillanceBase. All couples who completed more than 90% of survey (N=929)Both monitor

59. Monitoring: DifferencesThe wife is for all these behaviours more likely to monitor her husbands behaviour than her husband is to monitor hers.Base. All couples who completed more than 90% of survey (N=929)

60. Explaining surveillance

61. Conclusions Gender hugely important in relation to surveillance and netiquette – women are more (have more reason to be) concerned than men about online behaviour

62. Age is related to decrease in monitoring (directly and through higher satisfaction with relationship) – This cannot be explained by experience with the internet

63. Both personality and relationship characteristics are importantPoints of Summary and Conclusion Commercially-led research might offer academic opportunities

64. Online dating could offer opportunities for exploring theoretical perspectives on the Internet’s role

65. OII has been able to extend its capabilities:

66. Web-based surveys

67. Multi-National

68. EC Study of Media Literacy

69. Comscore, INSEAD, WEF Collaboration