Individual Difference in Ideal Partner Preferences: The Influence of Social Media Engagement

In an era dominated by social media, understanding its impact on the formation of ideal partner preferences, particularly across individuals, is essential. The study investigated how social media engagement shapes preferences for romantic partners. It has been suggested that men and women may have different ideas about what they want in a partner (Méndez-Diaz et al., 2022). Hypotheses for this study include: H1: There will be a significant relationship between social media engagement questionnaire and partner attractiveness. H2: There will be a significant relationship between social media engagement questionnaire and partner warmth H3: There will be a significant relationship between social media engagement questionnaire and partner status. H4: There will be a significant relationship between social media engagement questionnaire and relationship passion. H5: There will be a significant relationship between social media engagement questionnaire and relationship intimacy. H6: There will be a significant correlation between social media engagement questionnaire (SMEQ) and ideal style variable (ISS) Including physical attributes, Personality traits, Values and beliefs, Relationship dynamics, and future aspirations. Using a quantitative approach, data was collected from approximately 300 university students through Google Forms. The scales were the Social Media Engagement questionnaire (SMEQ) by Przybylski et al. (2013) and the Ideal Partner and Relationship Scale (IPRS) by Fletcher et al. (1999). Statistical analyses, using appropriate methods with SPSS, will explore the relations. between social media engagement, and ideal partner preferences. This research aimed to fill a critical gap in understanding how social media influences partner selection and how individual differences play a role in these dynamics. The analysis reveals that significant relationship between social media engagement with two subscale (partner attractiveness, partner warmth) and insignificant (p ≥ .05) with three subscales (partner status, relationship passion, relationship intimacy). Moreover, insignificant relationship between ISS and SMEQ with the p value (p ≥ .05), its shows that research hypothesis not approve (p = > .05) only 2 Hypothesis approved. Further studies focus on gender difference and this research applicable in individual differences idea partner preferences and social media engagement help individual to develop social bond and navigate conflict with partners.