Relationships - Virtual Relationships In Social Media Flashcards
What is meant by virtual relationships in social media?
Psychologists have long been interested in self-disclosure as a feature of face-to-face (FtF) relationships in the offline world, and the role of self-disclosure in virtual relationships in the online world has received considerable attention. As the internet use has increased, psychologists have become more and more interested in online or virtual relationships and computer-mediated communication (CMC).
What is self-disclosure in virtual relationships?
Self-disclosure is revealing personal information about yourself. Romantic partners reveal more about their true selves as their relationship develops. These self-disclosures about one’s deepest thoughts and feelings can strengthen a romantic bond when used appropriately.
The theory suggests that self-disclosure happens earlier and is more intense and meaningful in CMC than in FtF relationships. The hyperpersonal model explains this as being due to increased control over self-presentation and absence of gating.
What is the reduced cues theory in CMC?
The reduced cues theory by Sproull and Kiesler (1986) suggests that CMC relationships are less effective than FtF ones because they lack many of the cues we normally depend on in FtF interactions. These include nonverbal cues such as physical appearance and emotional expression through facial expressions or tone of voice. This lack of cues leads to de-individuation, where people feel disinhibited and often reveal themselves more in ways that are impersonal, which reduces the sense of individual identity.
What is the hyperpersonal model of self-disclosure?
The hyperpersonal model (Walther, 1996) suggests that online relationships can become very intense and intimate because self-disclosure happens earlier. Relationships in CMC can end more quickly because the high excitement level of interaction is not matched by the level of trust between the partners. A key feature is selective self-presentation, where people have more time to manipulate their online image compared to FtF situations.
What is absence of gating in virtual relationships?
Absence of gating refers to the removal of obstacles that would normally prevent a relationship from forming in the offline world. FtF relationships often fail to form because of ‘gating’ such as physical unattractiveness, a stammer, or social anxiety. Online communication allows people to create an identity they could not in FtF interaction, meaning CMC can create an idealised self-image.
What is one evaluation point for CMC and self-disclosure?
Lack of research support for reduced cues theory: The theory is wrong to suggest that nonverbal cues are entirely missing from CMC. They are different rather than absent. Joseph Walther and Lisa Tidwell (1995) point out that people in online interactions use other cues, such as timing of their messages. For instance, taking time to reply to a social network status update is often interpreted as a more intimate act than an immediate response. Acrostics (such as LOL), emoticons and, increasingly, emojis are used as effective substitutes for facial expressions and tone of voice in FtF interactions. The success of such online communication is difficult for the reduced cues theory to explain, because it shows that CMC interactions can be just as personal as those conducted FtF and that it’s possible to express emotional states in virtual relationships.
What is another evaluation point for CMC relationships?
Research support for the hyperpersonal model: The hyperpersonal model predicts that people are motivated to self-disclose in CMC in ways which are sometimes ‘hyperhonest’ and sometimes ‘hyperdishonest’. Monica Whitty and Adam Joinson (2009) summarise a wealth of evidence that this is the case. For example, questions asked in online discussions tend to be very direct, probing and intimate. This is quite different from FtF conversations, which are often hedged around with ‘small talk’. Responses are likewise direct and to the point. These findings support a central assertion of the model, which is that the way self-disclosure in CMC relationships is designed to present ourselves in an exaggeratedly positive light which aids relationship formation.
What is a limitation of considering CMC as a single concept?
Online dating is another area of CMC that differs from others. Self-disclosure is reduced because both communicators anticipate future meetings FtF in the offline world, a consideration that generally doesn’t exist in chatrooms and on gaming sites. Any theory that approaches CMC as a single concept neglects its richness and variety, and there is therefore unlikely to be a completely valid explanation.
What is one evaluation point about absence of gating?
Support for absence of gating: McKenna and Bargh (2000) looked at CMC use by lonely and socially anxious people. They found that such people were able to express their ‘true selves’ more than in FtF situations. Of the romantic relationships that initially formed online, 70% survived more than two years. This is a higher proportion than for relationships formed in the offline world.
