Online Daters Mostly Truthful

People who lie on online dating services are likely people-pleasers who want to present themselves favorably, just as they would in person, according to new research from the University of Kansas.

Jeffery Hall, assistant professor of communications studies, surveyed more than 5,000 participants who used Internet dating services to find out what kinds of people are most likely to lie.

He asked them how likely they were to lie about topics such as assets, relationship goals, personal interests, personal attributes, past relationships, age and weight.

"What people lie about depends on what kind of people they are," Hall said.

"For example, if you're an extrovert, you might downplay the number of past relationships you've had because chances are you've had more relationships than an introvert."

Those most likely to lie during the online dating process are people who have a strong awareness of what people like and control their behavior to achieve social ends. Their actions are not necessarily manipulative, but instead reflect a desire to be liked and to fit in.

In the study, men admitted to lying more overall, but women were most likely to lie about their weight. Because online daters hope to meet face-to-face eventually, the amount of lying is quite small.

"Online daters shouldn't be concerned that most people are presenting a false impression of themselves," Hall said. "What influences face-to-face dating influences the online world, too."

Hall's research was published in the February issue of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.


 

YouTube Safety Mode Goes Beyond Human Review

This week, YouTube launched Safety Mode, an opt-in setting that helps users screen out potentially objectionable videos. We asked YouTube how it works. For example, is there human intervention involved?

"Safety Mode goes above and beyond the flagging system and manual review to use community signals to filter out content that may be objectionable," YouTube tells WebProNews. "YouTube's filters use proprietary technology and algorithms to identify and filter potentially objectionable content."

That's about as in-depth as they were willing to get on that, but YouTube has acknowledged that it's not 100% perfect, calling it just another step in their ongoing desire to give users more control over what they see on the site.

Don't expect YouTube to start accepting more "objectionable" content now that it has Safety Mode available. All content still has to comply with YouTube's community guidelines.

To use Safety Mode, simply click on the link at the bottom of any video page. The setting can be locked on that browser with your YouTube password.

3D Printer Can Make You Anything

When WebProNews hit Vegas for the CES 2010 conference, we came across a number of new and interesting gadgets.

The MakerBot's CupCake CNC is a 3D printer/fabricator that can make just about anything you want. As long as the object you desire can be made out of ABS plastic and stays in a size range of 4″x4″x6".

Once the design is input using 3D modeling software or by visiting Thingiverse for a pre-made template, MakerBot turns the creation into reality. The machine begins 'printing' and soon after, a 3D model of the design requested materializes right before your eyes.

These 3D fabricators are priced between $750-$950 and have qualities that even attracted major companies like Google. The MakerBot representatives stated Google has invested in multiple CupCake CNCs.  For what?  We can only wonder....
 

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Sexting Most Common Among Older Teens

New research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that 4 percent of cell phone owners ages 12 to 17 have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images of themselves to someone else on a cell phone.

Pew found 15 percent of teens that age have received this kind of image of someone they know personally on their cell phone. Sexting was most common among older teens with 8 percent of 17-year-old cell-owners saying they have sent suggestive images of themselves by text while only 4 percent of 12-year-olds have.

Pew found that sexting occurs most often in one of three scenarios:

1.    Exchanges of images solely between two romantic partners
2.    Exchanges between partners that are then shared outside the relationship
3.    Exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, but where often one person hopes to be.

"Teens explained to us how sexually suggestive images have become a form of relationship currency," said Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report.

"These images are shared as a part of or instead of sexual activity, or as a way of starting or maintaining a relationship with a significant other. And they are also passed along to friends for their entertainment value, as a joke or for fun."

The report also found that teens who are more active users of cell phones are more likely to receive sexually suggestive images. Teens with unlimited text messaging plans, 75 percent of cell phone owning teens, are more likely to receive texts containing images of people they know.

Among this group, 18 percent reported receiving these images, compared with 8 percent of teens on limited plans and 3 percent of teens who pay per message. In addition, teens who keep their phones on almost all the time are more likely than others to receive texts with suggestive images.

"The desire for risk-taking and sexual exploration during the teenage years combined with a constant connection via mobile devices creates a 'perfect storm' for sexting," said Lenhart.

"Teenagers have always grappled with issues around sex and relationships, but their coming-of-age mistakes and transgressions have never been so easily transmitted and archived for others to see."
 

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