“Green Single Searching for Same“: an Analysis of Profiles on Online Dating Agencies for Environmentalists
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| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Today society faces many environmental challenges as natural scientists constantly remind us. One possible way to confront these challenges and overcome the problems they present is to change lifestyles. Many studies deal with how lifestyle changes can lower ecological footprints, but few studies have examined people who have actually elected more environmentally friendly lifestyles. No study has yet to deal with the problems that environmentally minded individuals face when looking for partners. Dating sites for environmentalists identify their users as “green singles”. In my paper I present my findings on this specific group of environmentally-focused singles searching for partners with similar values. My findings stem from both quantitative and qualitative analyses of one thousand randomly selected profiles from the following dating sites: Planet Earth Singles, Green-Passions, Ethical Singles, EcoDater, and Green Singles. I discuss characteristics that attest to a shared identity of the users of these sites and attempt to identify the motives behind their lifestyle choices. I present a critical view of the environmental dimension of their lifestyles and also call into question the stereotypical concept of “singles” that views them as free individuals who have voluntarily chosen a hedonistic lifestyle without regard for the environment. This paper further looks at the connections between lifestyle, individualization, and environmental problems. |
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