Paper Number

ICIS2025-2697

Paper Type

Short

Abstract

This study investigates how social discoverability—defined by the presence of a digital footprint and the commonness of a name—shapes user behavior on online matching platforms. Using a field experiment with synthetic profiles, we find that users are less likely to accept requests from highly discoverable profiles, particularly those with unique names, despite lower search costs. Instead, users display a strong preference for name familiarity, suggesting that the halo effect outweighs informational benefits provided by verifiable digital traces. Moreover, profiles with a visible digital footprint are significantly more likely to be rejected, indicating that external visibility may trigger skepticism rather than trust. These findings challenge dominant assumptions in the literature on signaling and information asymmetry and highlight the importance of perceived congruence and cognitive heuristics in trust-intensive environments. The results offer design implications for digital platforms seeking to balance visibility, authenticity, and user trust in identity-sensitive decision-making contexts.

Comments

16-UserBehavior

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Dec 14th, 12:00 AM

What's in a Name? More Than a Rose: Social Discoverability and Familiarity in Online Matching

This study investigates how social discoverability—defined by the presence of a digital footprint and the commonness of a name—shapes user behavior on online matching platforms. Using a field experiment with synthetic profiles, we find that users are less likely to accept requests from highly discoverable profiles, particularly those with unique names, despite lower search costs. Instead, users display a strong preference for name familiarity, suggesting that the halo effect outweighs informational benefits provided by verifiable digital traces. Moreover, profiles with a visible digital footprint are significantly more likely to be rejected, indicating that external visibility may trigger skepticism rather than trust. These findings challenge dominant assumptions in the literature on signaling and information asymmetry and highlight the importance of perceived congruence and cognitive heuristics in trust-intensive environments. The results offer design implications for digital platforms seeking to balance visibility, authenticity, and user trust in identity-sensitive decision-making contexts.

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