Relationships: Virtual relationships

Question 1

Explain reduced cues theory.

Answer 1

Sproull and Kiesler (1986) suggested that online relationships might be less open and honest than face-to-face ones, because in real life we are relying on a lot of subtle cues, such as facial expressions and tone of voice, and these cues are absent in virtual communications (Reduced Cues Theory). According to this theory, reduction in communication cues leads to de-individuation because it diminishes people’s feelings of individual identity and brings on behaviours that people usually restrain themselves from displaying, such as aggression. This may make online communications more aggressive, and the consequence of this is less self-disclosure from other people, as they may fear becoming victims of verbal violence.

Question 2

Explain the hyperpersonal model.

Answer 2

Virtual relationships can develop very quickly as self disclosure happens earlier.

This is due to anonymity – like ‘strangers on a train’ we disclose more.

They can also end quicker because the underlying trust and knowledge of the other person is lacking.

Virtual relationships may feel more intimate because it is easier to manipulate self disclosure online than face-to-face. They have more time to ‘edit’ their responses to present themselves in a more positive light - ‘selective self-presentation’.

Projecting a positive image will then make an online partner want to disclose more personal information, increasing the intensity of the relationship.

Question 3

Explain what ‘absence of gating’ means.

Answer 3

In real life, our attraction to other people is greatly influenced by their appearance, mannerisms and factors such as age and ethnicity, limiting our choice of potential partners. In virtual interactions, however, these barriers (‘gates’) are absent; this creates more opportunities for shy and less attractive people to develop romantic relationships. Even when these factors are discovered later, when relationships move from virtual to the face-to-face phase, they rarely decrease an already-developed attraction, as a result of the feeling of intimacy brought by more open self-disclosure. Shyer people also benefit from this as they can become outgoing and extraverted, for example.

Question 4

Outline what research has suggested about these theories for virtual relationships.

Answer 4

• The positive impact of virtual environments on developing romantic relationships is supported by research. For example, Rosenfeld and Thomas (2012) found that out of 4,000 participants studied, 71.8% of those with internet access were married or had a romantic partner, compared with only 35.9% of those without Internet access. The findings suggest that the virtual environment helps people to establish and maintain romantic relationships, endorsing explanations for virtual relationships.
• Paine et al. (2006) suggest that the degree of self-disclosure depends on whether a website user anticipates the information to become available to a wider audience or just to close friends. In the first case, people present an ‘edited’ version of themselves, trying to create a socially desirable identity. In the second case, however, people are willing to disclose more personal information, as they are relatively confident in their friends’ acceptance. This contradicts the claim that gating is absent in all virtual relationships, as there is the possibility that information can become publicly available which may reduce the quantity and quality of self-disclosure.
• People are involved in both online and offline relationships every day; it’s not an either/or situation. As such, our offline relationships tend to influence what and how we choose to disclose online, and vice versa. This means that there are fewer differences between online and face to face relationships than explanations seem to suggest, and research examining online relationships often fails to take into account the effect of these relationships on a person’s offline interactions, and vice versa.
• Research such as that by Sproull and Kiesler (1986) argues that, instead of increasing self-disclosure, online relationships often lead to a decrease in it. The claim that this is because virtual relationships lack many subtle cues, such as facial expressions, tone of voice and reaction times, which lead to deindividuation (a feeling of complete anonymity and loss of control) and this increases aggressive behaviour. People rarely want to disclose personal information to an individual who is blunt and aggressive.
• However, this claim has been rejected by Tidwell and Walther (1995), who argue that in virtual relationships people also use subtle cues, such as the time taken to respond to their post, or emoticons and emojis. According to them, non-verbal cues in online interactions are not absent, they are just different.
• Most of the research examining virtual relationships was conducted in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As technology is changing rapidly, so is the nature of online relationships; therefore, psychological research in this area risks becoming outdated by the time it is published. This lowers the temporal validity of research into online relationships.