The story of us: How online daters narrate their courtship

Online dating is common in the United States. We draw on communicated narrative sense-making (CNSM) theory to explore how online daters reflect on the development of their relationships. Using an oral history interview protocol, we collected courtship stories from 50 U.S. adults who were engaged or married to a partner that they met in online dating. We coded their stories for common narrative arcs and counter narratives that they used to describe their courtship. Our findings uncovered ten narrative arcs capturing different trajectories of relationship development. Embedded within these stories were counter narratives that participants used to challenge traditional courtship ideologies. Implications for CNSM theory, theories of relationship development, and online dating research are discussed.