Media Richness Theory is also another theory that I researched during my process of creating the online dating guide. The theory states that, "task performance increases when the task needs are matched to the medium’s richness." (Barrow, 2009). In other words, as it applies to online dating, the overall goal is to communicate at a great "richness" that will overall support success in finding an ideal match.
Daft and Lengel define the richness of media as, "the ability of information to change understanding within a time interval (Dennis and Valacich 1999)." With online dating, the information passed between two people would be your dating profile. The amount of personal information that you provide, such as age, career, likes, etc. provides another person using the same form of communication to learn more about you. The more information, the better an inference can be drawn in regards the type of person you may be, and furthermore if you have somethings in common.
Moreover, the information obtained through online dating profiles can also help in retention.
Media richness theory is important in terms of online dating, why? because the more someone shares the closer they become. If daters have common interest there will be a development of a bond, which could possibly mean progression for their relationship. The more daters communicate the more effective the communication becomes, seem simple right? however in online dating someone could be everything one was searching for but be deceiving the other dater. In terms of deception the common information daters share could be be false information. Online daters often uses video conferencing to make sure they are not being deceived, once they determine whether or not the truth is being told, determines the fate of the developing relationship.
The importance of media richness is the connection made between two individuals and how they exchange information. In online dating the goal is to exchange personal information with other daters in hopes of development of an interpersonal relationship. Also it important that the information being shared is equal and can be considered trustworthy. If one can't be trusted the relationship will become stagnant. The exchange of personal information for any relationship is to find common interest, in online dating common interest are vital due to the lack of face-to-face encounters. The common interest are what spark the interest to meet outside of cyberspace.