A scientific model on the how and why people meet in the online and offline space.

1. Meeting People Offline and Online

3. “IT IS WHEN YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU ARE EMOTIONALLY INVESTED IN”

4. WHY? HOW? THE MODEL

5. DO PEOPLE NEED/WANT TO MEET OTHER PEOPLE? DO PEOPLE NEED/WANT SOCIAL INTERACTION?

6. There is a fundamental drive in human beings to interact with one another So then why are some people happy being single?

7. LOVE FRIENDS

8. THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND ERASE ALL ASSUMPTIONS ASK QUESTIONS MAKE OBSERVATIONS DEVELOP A HYPOTHESIS TEST HYPOTHESIS REVALUATE YOUR HYPOTHESIS ITERATE CONCLUSION. BUILD YOUR MODEL

9. HOW DID I MEET MY FRIENDS. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR FRIENDS? RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU IT WAS SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY, WORK, SOME SORT OF CLUB/TEAM, LIVED TOGETHER OBSERVATION: REPETITIVE EXPOSURE WERE YOU LOOKING FOR FRIENDS WHEN YOU MET THESE PEOPLE? RESPONSE IS USUALLY A MIXTURE OF NO’s AND YES’s OBSERVATION: MOTIVATION TO MEET FRIENDS IS NOT REQUIRED IN ORDER TO MEET FRIENDS DID YOU MEET MOST OF YOUR FRIENDS ONLINE? FOR THE MOST PART. NO OBSERVATION MOST PEOPLE DON’T MAKE FRIENDS THROUGH THE INTERNET

10. IS TRUST A BIG ISSUE WHEN TRYING TO MAKE FRIENDS ONLINE? IN WHAT SITUATIONS HAVE YOU MADE FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE ONLINE? WHAT MADE YOU TRUST THIS PERSON YOU MET ONLINE? DID APPEARANCE MATTER? DID YOU MAKE FRIENDS BECAUSE YOU HAD SOMETHING IN COMMON THAT YOU COULD IDENTIFY IMMEDIATELY? DID YOU ONLY FIND OUT THAT YOU HAD THINGS IN COMMON AFTER YOU BECAME FRIENDS?

11. REPETITIVE EXPOSURE IS A FACTOR THAT CONTRIBUTES TO FRIEND FORMATION SOME KIND OF IDENTIFYING COMMON FACTOR IS REQUIRED BEFORE FRIENDSHIPS CAN BE FORMED MUST BE OPEN TO MAKING FRIENDS. PEOPLE GO ONLINE TO MAKE FRIENDS WHEN THEY DON’T HAVE MANY FRIENDS IN REAL LIFE.

12. a) PRIMARY FACTOR IS REPETITIVE EXPOSURE b) NO MOTIVATION REQUIRED c) FRIENDSHIPS ARE NOT USUALLY FORMED ONLINE d) COMMONALITIES HAVE LITTLE TO NO IMPACT e) APPEARANCE DOES NOT MATTER

13. REALITY

14. WHERE DID YOU MEET YOUR CURRENT ROMANTIC INTEREST? BAR, SCHOOL/UNI, EVENTS OBSERVATION: MANY DIFFERENT PLACES WERE YOU LOOKING FOR ROMANCE WHEN YOU MET THIS PERSON? RESPONSE IS USUALLY A MIXTURE OF NO’s AND YES’s OBSERVATION: MOTIVATION TO MEET A ROMANTIC INTEREST IS NOT REQUIRED DID YOU MEET YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER ONLINE? FOR THE MOST PART. NO OBSERVATION MOST PEOPLE DON’T MEET PEOPLE THROUGH THE INTERNET

15. IS TRUST A BIG ISSUE WHEN TRYING TO FIND ROMANCE ONLINE? IN WHAT SITUATIONS HAVE YOU ENGAGED IN A DATE WITH SOMEONE ONLINE? WHAT MADE YOU TRUST THIS PERSON YOU MET ONLINE? DID/DOES APPEARANCE MATTER? DID YOU MAKE FRIENDS BECAUSE YOU HAD SOMETHING IN COMMON THAT YOU COULD IDENTIFY IMMEDIATELY? DID YOU ONLY FIND OUT THAT YOU HAD THINGS IN COMMON AFTER YOU BECAME FRIENDS? DO YOU NEED AN OPENING FOR CONVERSATION TO INITIATE CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN?

16. YOU MUST LIKE THE APPEARANCE SOME KIND OF OPENING MUST BE THERE IN ORDER TO INITIATE CONVERSATION MUST BE MOTIVATED TO MEET A SIGNIFICANT OTHER. PEOPLE GO ONLINE TO FIND A SIGNIFICANT OTHER WHEN THEY CAN’T FIND ONE THROUGH REAL LIFE.

17. a) CONTEXT IS RIGHT b) MOTIVATION IS REQUIRED BY AT LEAST ONE PERSON 1) SOME SORT OF SENSE OF SECURITY/ TRUST SHOULD BE THERE 2) OPENING TO TALK: SOMETHING HIGHLY RELEVANT TO SAY, OR SOMETHING IN COMMON TO TALK ABOUT c) ROMANCE IS NOT USUALLY FOUND ONLINE d) COMMONALITIES IS NECESSARY TO GET STARTED 3) HELPS IF YOU HAVE MULTIPLE EXPOSURE e) APPEARANCE DOES MATTER

18. c) ROMANCE IS NOT USUALLY FOUND ONLINE c) FRIENDSHIP IS NOT USUALLY FOUND ONLINE

20. WOULD YOU USE THE INTERNET TO MEET PEOPLE IF YOU COULDN’T EASILY MEET PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE? YES ACCESSIBILITY SEEMS TO BE A FACTOR IS TRUST AN ISSUE FOR YOU WHEN MEETING PEOPLE ONLINE? YES TRUST PLAYS A LARGE ROLE IS IT AN ADVANTAGE TO KNOW ABOUT COMMONALITIES AND COMPATIBILITIES AHEAD OF TIME YES, BUT SOMETIMES RUINS THE MYSTERY THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME ADVANTAGES TO ONLINE DATING

21. IS THE STIGMA SURROUNDING ONLINE DATING POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE? DOES IT AFFECT WHETHER YOU GO ONLINE FOR THAT PURPOSE? DO YOU GO ONLINE TO FIND SOMEONE TO HAVE SEX? DO YOU BELIEVE MATCHING ALGORITHMS WORK? DID/DOES APPEARANCE MATTER? DO YOU MEET PEOPLE ONLINE WITHOUT INTENTIONALLY LOOKING? DO YOU WANT THE ABILITY TO DATE SOMEONE ONLINE FIRST BEFORE DATING OFFLINE? DO YOU FIND INITIALLY MESSAGING SOMEONE DIFFICULT? DO YOU WANT TO BE APPROACHED ONLINE OR VICE-VERSA?

22. SOCIAL STIGMA TRUST OF ONLINE IDENTITY ACCESSIBILITY. DIFFICULTY OF MESSAGING SOMEONE DOESN’T KNOW IF IT WORKS

23. a) TRUST c) ACCESSIBLITY b) STIGMA e) DIFFICULTY OF MESSAGING SOMEONE f) Uniqueness to physical interaction

24. a) TRUST a) PRIMARY FACTOR IS REPETITIVE EXPOSURE a) CONTEXT IS RIGHT b) MOTIVATION IS REQUIRED BY AT LEAST ONE PERSON c) ACCESSIBLITY e) APPEARANCE DOES MATTER b) NO MOTIVATION REQUIRED b) STIGMA e) DIFFICULTY OF MESSAGING SOMEONE d) COMMONALITIES IS NECESSARY e) APPEARANCE DOES NOT MATTER c) ROMANCE IS NOT USUALLY FOUND ONLINE d) COMMONALITIES HAVE LITTLE TO NO IMPACT c) FRIENDSHIPS ARE NOT USUALLY FORMED ONLINE

25. INTERNET EASILY MESSAGE SOMEONE NO STIGMA CONTEXT ACCESSIBILITY SECURITY REPETITVE EXPOSURE Commonalities TRUST LOVE FRIENDS APPEARANCE MOTIVATION REALITY MEETING PEOPLE MOTIVATION FRIENDS LOVE CONTEXT REPETITVE EXPOSURE SECURITY APPEARANCE Multiple Exposure Commonalities Opening to talk

26. INTERNET TRUST REALITY NOT ACCESSIBLE/ INTERNET IS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ACCESSIBLE FRIENDS LOVE LITTLE STIGMA EASILY MESSAGE SOMONE REALITY NOTE: LOVE MET ONLINE WILL TRANSLATE BACK TO OFFLINE Uniqueness to physical interaction <-Must be able to emulate on the internet in order to maintain a romantic relationship online. FRIENDS LOVE

27. HOW TO CONVERT OFFLINE TO ONLINE? Identity Verification: Email, Cellphone, Payment, Rfid? Privacy/Trust. TRUST Website Legitimacy: Reputation, Testaments TIME: e.g MMORPG STIGMA Time, Reputation, Education EASILY MESSAGE SOMONE Message Template, Wingman/Friend Simulation Friendly Site, Free, Known. ACCESSIBILITY Make Real Life Inaccessible

28. CONCLUSIONS/ POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS FRIENDS REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF UNIQUE INTERACTIONS AND INCREASE COMMON INTERACTIONS. E.g. smaller subset of universes. Put people on teams. Elections has the right idea VISIBLE COMMONALITIES. IDENTITY VERIFICATION. RIGHT CONTEXT. LOVE

29. FIN. Q&A