Exploring The Impact of Social Dating Applications on Relationships During the Covid-19 Pandemic Among Young Adults
3.8 Pilot Study
3.8.1 Analysis of Pilot Study
Based on the pilot study that was conducted on 28th and 29th December 2021, the researchers had to make some minor amendments to the interview protocol, so that the outcome of the actual interview can be improved and is able to meet the researchers’ expectations. Besides, the researchers found out that individuals who joined the pilot study as interviewees were unlikely to reveal more about themselves and further elaborate their answers because some of the initial questions were set in closed-ended type. To collect sufficient data from the interviewees, the interview protocol was amended by replacing unwanted sub-questions and adding follow-up questions which allow the interviewees to have a better understanding of the questions and further elaborate their responses.
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In the first question under RQ1, also known as RQ1.1, most of the interviewees were able to share their experience in using the social dating applications, but the answers provided by them were brief and concise. Therefore, the researchers replaced RQ1.1 with How do you find the dating application you are/were using? Through this question, the interviewees can share their personal experiences in a better way by providing real-life examples.
In RQ1.2, all interviewees revealed that social dating applications can lead to a long-term relationship, but they did not provide elaborations to support their statements. Hence, the researchers eliminated the sub-question and replaced it with 3 sub-questions that aimed to explore more on the user experience of the interviewees. To explore their user experience on affiliated relationships, the researchers added RQ1.2.1 Are you currently in a relationship? Assuming the interviewee responded yes, the researchers will follow up with 1.2.1A Where and how did you encounter your current love interest or partner? If the interviewee responded no, the researchers will ask 1.2.1B Have you ever been in a relationship with someone you met on social dating applications? For casual relationships, the researchers added RQ1.2.2 Are you sexually active now?
Assuming the interviewee responded yes, the researchers will follow up with 1.2.2A Where and how did you encounter your current love interest or partner? If the interviewee responded no, the researchers will ask 1.2.2B Have you ever been in a casual relationship with someone you met on social dating applications? To explore the interviewees’ user experience on family relationships, the researchers added RQ1.2.3 Are you friends with someone you met on social dating applications?
Assuming the interviewee responded yes, the researchers will follow up with 1.2.3A how did you
83 become close friends with them through social dating applications? If the interviewee responded no, the researchers will ask 1.2.3B what are the reasons that stopped you from making friendships through social dating applications?
In RQ1.3, all interviewees agreed that social dating applications are effective in searching for a romantic partner and were able to justify their point of view. However, the interviewees were not able to further elaborate their statements. Therefore, the researchers eliminated the sub- question and replace it with 3 sub-questions that aimed to explore the user engagement of the interviewees. In terms of affiliated relationships, the researchers added RQ1.3.1 How long did the relationship last? For casual relationships, the researchers added RQ1.3.2 How long did the fling last? For family relationships, the researchers added RQ1.3.3 How long have you been friends with them? Besides, the researchers added RQ1.4 As a user of social dating applications, why is it helpful for you to match and click with someone of interest compared to knowing people physically?
to examine the effectiveness of finding a partner on dating applications compared to finding one physically. Moreover, the researchers added RQ 1.5 As a user of social dating applications, what attracts you to be engaged in the application that you find more convenient and effective compared to physical dating? With this question being asked, the interviewee is required to explain in detail regarding the benefits provided by online dating.
Based on RQ1.4 from the first draft, most interviewees revealed that they have seen people in committed relationships using social dating applications. Due to sensitive issues, the interviewees were unwilling to elaborate more on the similar scenarios they met in real life.
84 Therefore, the researchers replaced the sub-question with 1.6 Do you still go on social dating applications when you are in a relationship? to obtain more information from the perspective of the interviewee. Assuming the interviewee responded yes, the researchers will follow up with 1.6.1 In current or past relationship? and 1.6.1.1 What if you find someone who is interesting in social dating applications but you are in a relationship? Which one would you choose and give up on?
If the interviewee responded no, the researchers will ask 1.6.2 Do any of your partners do that?
follow by 1.6.2.1 Would you still consider using it if you have got a partner? With these questions being asked, it is able to create a scenario for the interviewees and helps them to elaborate their points in a better way.
In the first question, RQ2.1, all interviewees revealed that they used social dating applications more frequently than usual in the pandemic. However, they did not further elaborate their answer because RQ2.1 was a closed-ended question and was not able to draw more information from the interviewees. Hence, the researchers added RQ2.1.1 How often did you use social dating applications during the pandemic? By asking this question, the researchers can find out the exact numbers that represent the usage of social dating applications by the interviewees.
Based on the data collected from RQ2.1.1, the researchers can draw a conclusion that indicates that usage of social dating applications has risen during the pandemic.
In RQ2.2, most interviewees were able to justify their intention of using social dating applications during the pandemic but their answers were similar to the one they provided in RQ1.1.
To explore more on users’ intentions during the pandemic, the researchers added RQ2.2.1 Do you
85 have any friends who use social dating applications during the pandemic as well? What are their intentions? By adding this follow-up question, the researchers can analyse the intentions of other social dating applications users and highlight the similarities between them. Besides, the researchers added RQ2.2.2 Do you go on the application when you are lonely to explore the relationship between loneliness and online dating addiction.
In RQ2.3, all interviewees were able to reveal the factors that contributed to the increased usage of social dating applications during the pandemic. As most of them disclosed that the main factors are due to loneliness, lack of social interaction, and curiosity about exploring something new. However, the researchers decided to ask in a simpler way and modified the sub-question to RQ2.3 Why do you think your usage of social dating applications increased during the pandemic?
In RQ2.4, all interviewees agreed that it is common for people to search for their romantic partners via social dating applications during the pandemic. To prevent the interviewees from providing short answers without elaborations, the researchers added RQ2.4.1 Why do you think it is common for people to search for romantic relationships via social dating applications during the pandemic? Is it because it is an easier way for them to do so and has a higher chance of succeeding? Through this question, the interviewees can further elaborate and justify their answers in RQ2.4.
86 In a nutshell, all researchers came to a consensus to amend the interview protocol based on the internal validation conducted by research members, namely Alisya Binti Yahaya, Cheow Zhi Yang, Chong Qiao Lin, Chow Qian Yu, and Ho Kar Fai. As the initial questions on the interview protocol were unable to draw in-depth information from the interviewees, some of the sub- questions were amended and follow-up questions were added to each sub-questions to improve the quality of data collected from the interviews.