Gender and Online Self-presentation Process as Factors in Internet Dating and Relationships among Nigerian Undergraduates
The study investigated gender and online self-presentation process as factors in internet dating and relationship among Nigerian undergraduates. A total of 400 undergraduates 205(51.3%) males and 195(48.7%) females participated in the study. Their age ranged between 16-30 years, with a mean age of 20.5years. Two instrument which included, Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale and Relationship Assessment scale were used in the study. Cross-sectional survey design and linear regression was used for data analysis. The study aims at finding out whether or not gender would significantly predict internet dating and relationship and online self-presentation process significantly predict internet dating and relationship among Nigerian Undergraduates. The result showed that gender did not predict internet dating/relationship among Nigerian Undergraduates. Online self-presentation process predicted internet dating/relationship among Nigerian Undergraduates (β = .21, p < 0.01).The findings of this study showed that self-presentation process determines online relational activities. Socio-psychological implications and limitations of the study were highlighted.