Networked seduction: a test-bed for the study of strategic communication on the Internet

One of the emerging features of the Internet is its relational and communicative nature: the initial centrality of the information exchange is moving to the building of online relationships, from friendship to romantic and even sexual relationships. The main goal of this paper is to define a theoretical model for the study of seductive processes on the Internet. In particular, taking up the perspective of the user, a shift of focus is proposed: from the description of the development of interpersonal attraction to the investigation of seduction, considered as a strategic communication process. According to the presented model, the key effort of the subjects involved in a computer-mediated seductive interaction is the negotiation of the meaning of the situation they are involved in. This process usually requires two tasks: the analysis of the characteristics of the communicative environment in which the play of interpersonal attraction develops, and the exploitation of the affordances offered by the communicative environment according to specific strategic goals. The main features of the model are both the focus on the communicative tools employed by the users to reach their relational goals, and the ergonomic characteristics of the networked environment. This approach can be used as a test-bed for the definition of specific hypotheses concerning the development of seductive interaction online.