Question 1 - Have you ever met anyone in an online chat-room/online dating website?
Question 2 - Have you ever proceeded to meet one of these people you have met in person?
Question 3 - If you answered yes to question 2, how was your experience? Did the person turn out to be someone different or who they said they were?
Because the semi-interview's were one on one I feel it helped them to open up more than they would have. After answering the questions - they tended to elaborate on their experience. It seemed as if they almost needed to justify their actions at the time they met a person from the internet in real life.
I found that most people I asked had at least met someone in an online chat room if not met them in real life. The general response to question 3 was that the person was who they said they were. However, for one person it was a case of personality difference rather than physical. When meeting the person from online, the interviewee suggested that the online acquaintance became physically and orally violent. The interviewee feared for their safety and fled. When returning home that night, the interviewee de-activated their online dating profile and has not used it since.
I think that the answers I received to these questions point me in the direction that many people do turn to online dating in a bid to meet someone when they think they can't meet anyone in real life. For teenagers, it seems as if the internet is a wall to hide behind and to meet people who feel the same as them - to have someone to confide in.
This research is Qualitative. Qualitative methods are ways of collecting data that focus on the meanings and feelings of the respondent. Qualitative methods tend to be high in validity, this means they are true to life. I decided to use qualitative methods as I feel it is better to build a rapport with your interviewee and make them feel more comfortable.
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