Meet the "E-Strangers". Predictors of Teenagers' Online-Offline Encounters

Vol.3,No.1(2009)

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate several factors associated with adolescents’ online-offline dating behavior (On-Off Dating), i.e. romantic encounters initiated online and transferred offline at a certain point. Due to the novelty of the topic in the Romanian context, multiple dimensions were taken into consideration. In order to move beyond the victimization perspective, this article relies mostly on the social agency theory that envisions teenagers as skilled and informed actors, who possess the technological, social and communicative competencies which enable them to distinguish between safe and unsafe situations (both online and offline). The sample consisted of 1806 subjects aged 10 to 19 who completed a self-report questionnaire administered in 101 classrooms from secondary schools and high schools in Cluj- Napoca, Romania, in November 2007. Results of the analyses indicate a series of factors significantly associated with this particular practice, with some differences for boys and girls, e.g. parental monitoring, identity management (disclosure and dissimulation), exposure to unsolicited (and deliberate) sexual material and unwanted solicitations online, use of Social Networking Sites (SNS), and several psychosocial factors. Among the most important predictors, e.g. use of Instant Messaging (IM), the amount of time spent online, and positive social self-concept appear to influence both boys’ and girls’ decision for online-offline dating. Other items, like parental monitoring and exposure to sexually explicit content, showed ambivalent relation to the investigated behavior.

Keywords:
adolescents; online-offline dating; predictors; skilled social agents
Author biography

Monica Barbovschi

Monica Barbovschi is a PhD student in the field of Sociology of Communication in the Department of Sociology, University of Babes-Bolyai, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Her PhD thesis deals with the role of technology for individuals and civil society, with a focus on the replacement / co-existence of traditional mass media with new information technologies and their social and political consequences in Central and Eastern Europe. Other research interests are related to youth & technology, sexuality and the Internet. She is co-editor of the volume “Teenagers’ Actions and Interactions Online in Central and Eastern Europe. Potentials and Empowerment, Risks and Victimization”-(research project "Risks and Effects of Internet Use among Children and Adolescents. The Perspective of Evolution towards the Knowledge Society”, 2007-2008).
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