Faculty Mentor(s)

Dr. Austin Beattie, Communications

Document Type

Poster

Event Date

4-12-2024

Abstract

With this century's rise of technology, new texting behaviors have not only been introduced, but have grown in their capacity for emotional intensity. This emotional intensity often translates into the forming of both platonic and romantic relationships online, as the online space acts as an easier "buffer space" for the relationships to begin. Understanding more about the perceptions of flirting behavior over text messaging is essential to develop more clear boundaries for romantic partners in an increasingly online world. This study addresses the link between relationship-status and perceived level of appropriateness of varying degrees of online flirtatious behavior. Using pre-written text messages containing varying degrees of flirtatious behavior, we compared average levels of appropriateness for the same text message conversation by those both in and not in a romantic relationship. Results demonstrated that participants who were in committed relationships rated the flirty message conditions as more appropriate than participants who were single.

Comments

This research was supported by the Hope College Communication Department

Included in

Communication Commons

Share

COinS