Relationships - Virtual Relationships in Social Media Flashcards
What can cause a difference in the rate of progression of the relationship and intimacy?
Differences in self disclosure between face-to-face and computer-mediated communications
What do Keisler and Sproull suggest about self disclosure in virtual relationships?
Through their Reduced Cues theory, they suggest that CDC relationships may have poorer levels of intimacy and delayed self disclosure because some of the vital cues present in face-to-face relationships such as facial expressions and voice intonation, are not present in CDC relationships, leading to the de-individuation of each partner. Therefore to act as a compromise for the lack of cues, one or both individuals are likely to be excessively blunt or impersonal, which also reduces the likelihood of future self-disclosure and early intimacy within the relationship.
What does the hyperpersonal model suggest about online relationships?
Suggests that online relationships begin and end at a much higher rate than face-to-face relationships. Initial self-disclosure is high because partners can be selective about what information they choose to disclose. However, a lack of personal cues means that trust and intimacy is not built at the same rate as self-disclosure, so these exchanges are not reciprocal. The anonymity associated with online dating means each individual takes less responsibility for their behaviour and so the break-up and build-up is less personal.
What does ‘gating’ refer to?
Refers to the reasons as to why we may choose one person over another as a potential partner.
What can an absence of gating explain?
May explain why the rate of progression of online relationships is greater than relationships in real-life ; if each individual is selective about how they present themselves online, then there are fewer ‘gates’ and so effectively fewer reasons not to choose a particular person to start a relationship with.
What are the strengths of virtual relationships?
+ There is research evidence supporting some of the core principles/ assumptions of the hyperpersonal model. Online communications, due to a lack of nonverbal cues, often use ‘direct’ questions, instead of small talk which is used in in face-to-face relationships. Therefore, this suggests that we are actually more likely to self-disclose in virtual relationships because we can be selective as to what information we reveal about ourselves, and so use self-disclosure to further improve the way that a potential partner views us.
What are the limitations of research into virtual relationships?
- The theories of self-disclosure and absence of gating in virtual relationships may lack ecological validity because they may not be able to explain all the course of modern- age relationships which is often a mixture of virtual and face-to-face elements.
- Although virtual relationships are intrinsically different to face-to-face relationships, they may still share the similarity of featuring nonverbal signals. This includes the use of emojis, acronyms and nonverbal cues which are specific to online communications such as length, timing, tone of the messages sent. This refutes the central assumption of the reduces cues theory that online communication relationships may suffer due to being impersonal and featuring few cues, especially considering that an increasing number of successful modern relationships begin online.
Why do people self- disclose more on the internet?
People don’t usually engage in self-disclosure with one another until they are confident that what they disclose remains confidential, and would not be leaked to mutual acquaintances. There is a fear of ridicule and rejection in f2f relationships. However online, the relative anonymity of the individual reduces the risks of disapproval . We are more likely to disclose personal information to people we don’t know and probably will never see again. Additionally, because a stranger does not have access to an individual’s social circle, the confidentiality problem is less of an issue.
Explain gating in face-to-face relationships
In f2f relationships, personal factors such as physical appearance and mannerisms tend to determine who we approach, and whom we develop romantic relationships with. We use available features such as attractiveness, age or ethnicity to categorise potential partners before making a decision about whether we want to enter a relationship with them. In an online relationship, there is an absence of these barriers or ‘gate’ that normally limit the opportunities for the less attractive, shy or less socially skilled to form relationships in face-to-face interactions.
Explain absence of gating and its consequences
The internet is a relatively anonymous place. Due to this, gates to interaction are less likely to prevent relationships from forming. Because the gates that usually dominate initial liking are removed, a person’s true self is more likely to be active in internet relationships than in f2f relationships.
What did Zhao find that supports the idea of absence of gating
Found that online social networks such as Facebook can empower ‘gated’ individuals to present the identities they hope to establish but are unable to in face-to-face situations. The reduction of gating obstacles also enables people to ‘stretch the truth a bit’ in their efforts to project a self that is more socially desirable than their real ‘offline’ identity.
Who did Yurchisin interview? What does their findings demonstrate about online relationships?
Interviewed 11 online daters , found that these individuals tended to give accounts of both their real and better selves in dating profiles as a way of attracting potential partners . Some participants even admitted to stealing other dater’s ideas or copy other people’s images as a way of making themselves more popular. However they did find that most online identities were still close to a person’s true identity in order to avoid surprises in a possible real life encounter.
Explain why the internet is important for romantic relationships
Rosenfield and Thomas, in a study of 4,000 US adults, 71.8% of those who had internet access at home had a spouse or romantic partner . For those who did not have internet access at home, the figure was much lower at 35.9% . Their research suggests that the Internet may be displacing rather than simply complementing the traditional ways of meeting a romantic partner.
Explain evidence to support the idea that virtual relationships can be as strong as offline relationships
Rosenfield and Thomas found no evidence to support the claim that online relationships are much weaker and more temporary than f2f relationships. In their research they found no difference in the quality of offline and online relationships, nor did they find that online relationships were more fragile than relationships formed offline.
Explain a biological basis of self-disclosure on Facebook
Tamir and Mitchell found increased MRI activity in two brain regions that are associated with reward, the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area. These areas were strongly activated when people were talking about themselves, and less so when talking about someone else. Also found that participants in their study experienced a greater sensation of pleasure when sharing their thoughts with a friend or family member , and less pleasure when they were told their thoughts would be kept private. These findings suggest that the human tendency to share our personal experiences with others over social media may be due to the rewarding nature of self disclosure.
