Love on Screen: DH Analysis of Mate Selection Criteria
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oleksandra Romaniuk, PhD | FWF Elise Richter Project | 2025-2029
Project Description
Why it matters
Romantic stories are everywhere—in movies, TV shows, and social media. These narratives often present idealized versions of romance that captivate young audiences but fall short of reality, promote unhealthy beauty standards, depict unrealistic scenarios, lack diversity, and reinforce outdated gender roles in popular media. Even though young viewers may understand that these portrayals are not entirely realistic, the enticing scenarios, rewarding outcomes, and attractive role models still strongly influence their perceptions and beliefs. This influence shapes young people’s ideas about what is “appropriate” or “desirable” in their own dating experiences. The promotion of such narrow ideals places undue pressure on youth to conform while marginalizing those who do not fit these unrealistic standards, leaving many feeling excluded from mainstream ideas of love.
What we study
“Love on Screen” explores how media dating content affects youth perceptions and expectations of romance. The project is structured around three key areas:
- Cultural variations in romantic media: what is considered normal in one dating culture could feel completely out of place in another;
- Visual engagement with the dating content: using eye-tracking technology, the research examines which visual stimuli capture the highest and lowest levels of viewer attention, and how these stimuli affect their perceptions of attractiveness and desirability;
- Repeated media exposure: watching recurring romantic patterns can shape long-term expectations of dating. This study examines how portrayals of “successful” romantic encounters—where dating partners achieve their romantic goals—and “failed” ones—where attempts to form connections are unsuccessful—shape what young adults seek in a partner and how they perceive romance.
Our goal
The ultimate goal is to equip youth with tools to critically assess media, empowering them to separate fact from fiction, spot stereotypes, challenge unrealistic beauty standards, appreciate diverse stories, and advocate for media that is inclusive and reflective of real life. As such, “Love on Screen” offers valuable insights for educators, media producers, and policymakers. Its findings promote healthier, more inclusive representations of love and encourage stories that reflect the diverse ways people experience love and romantic relationships.
Team
Principal Investigator: Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Oleksandra Romaniuk
Oleksandra Romaniuk is an Elise-Richter Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Vienna and Principal Investigator of the FWF-funded project Love on Screen: DH Analysis of Mate Selection Criteria. She received her PhD in Applied Linguistics from South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University (2015), later nostrified by the University of Vienna (2024). Her research focuses on media influence, romantic scripts, visual attention, and courtship communication, combining digital humanities methods such as eye-tracking and sentiment analysis with sociolinguistic and cognitive approaches. She has published widely on romantic discourse in media and is actively engaged in cross-cultural studies of dating shows, media literacy, and youth perceptions of romance. For more information on Oleksandra’s work, visit her Univie webpage.
Student Assistant: Adriana Barrientos
Adriana Barrientos is a BEd student in English, History, and Civic Education at the University of Vienna. As a student assistant for the FWF-funded project Love on Screen: A Digital Humanities Analysis of Mate Selection Criteria, Adriana contributes to participant recruitment, eye-tracking studies, and survey administration. Having successfully completed multiple classes on Critical Media Analysis and written several academic papers, Adriana is now employing their skills at a professional level.
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