Virtual social networks of information on love

Abstract

The article presents the results of the dissertation developed in the Graduate Program of the School of Information Science of UFMG. It analyses the virtual social networks of information on love formed by the users of Orkut. As study object, it takes five virtual communities: “If it's love may it... be true!”, “Love and sex on debate”, “I BELIEVE in love", “Love, Respect and Trust” and “The myth of romantic love”. As empirical universe the study considers, in general analysis, the topic and enquiry listings that can be found on the cited communities; in  specific analysis, five topics of definitions of love and 103 profiles from the most active users of the studied communities. Methodologically, the study is structured by multiple incorporated cases. The study delineates the informational love profile of users, most of them adults, women, involved in relationships, wishful for marriage and who use information about love to personalize their profiles on Orkut. Users informational behavior is characterized as motivated, mainly, by feelings of missing the loved person, extreme happiness, extreme disappointment in love, and also as the interest in studying love. The study defines informational culture as something without rules and explicit orientation in most part of the communities, and traces the social networks of information on love and consider them as networks of  low density, centrality and intermediation. Among other findings, the study concludes that the social networks in study provide helpful information and support to users, and work as coat hanger-communities.