Virtual relationship in social media Flashcards
What does FtF stand for ?
Face to face
What does CMC stand for ?
Computer-mediated communication
2 theories that look at the role of self-disclosure in virtual relationships:
- reduced cue theory
- Hyperpersonal model
Hyper personal model
- Walther
- Virtual relationships have more disclosure than ftf
- Means that virtual relationships develop quicker which means self-disclosure happens sooner
What are the two key features of the hyperpersonal model:
- Selective self presentation = means that the sender can manipulate their self-image to be their most ideal self. This means they have control over what they do and don’t send
- Receiver gains positive impression of the sender by giving feedback to reinforce senders self-presentation
Bargh: Hyperpersonal model
- anonymity
- when you are aware that people don’t know your identity
- there is less accountability for behaviour
Reduced key theory:
- Sproull and Kielser
- Virtual relationships are less effective
- lack of social cues online in virtual relationships
- E.g. a lack of emotional cues such as facial expression and voice tones
- Being online reduces the sense of individual identity (deindividuation)
- Deindividuation leads to anonymity which means people have more aggressive tones
- This leads to people online being less likely to disclose information
Gating:
- a gate is an obstacle to the formation of a relationship
- these gates open/disappear in virtual relationships
McKenna + Bargh:
- Absence of gating is an advantage to CMC
- provides opportunity for self disclosure to become more frequent and meaningful online
- Absence of gating allows for a virtual identity to be created
Zhao:
- facebook empowers gated individuals
- enables people to stretch the truth
Implications of virtual relationships:
Negative:
- Catfishing
Positive:
- Removes superficial barriers to relationships
- Helps mentalhealth as it provides a strategy to help those who are lonely
Limitation of virtual relationships: Lacks Temporal Validity
- Zhao talks about facebook
- New dating platforms have been replaced
- This means that these studies are outdated as social media is always changing
Limitation of virtual relationships: Self-disclosure negative effect
- These theories suggest focus on the increase of intimacy due to self-disclosure
- Self-disclosure has the opposite effects to what is thought sometimes
- If someone reveals information about themselves too quickly it can push someone away from intimacy
Limitation of virtual relationships: Alpha bias
- Mckenna - women pit more emphasis on intimacy online than men
- the two genders disclose different information and in different ways
Limitation of reduced cues: Other ways to show social cues
- Use of emojis online allows for cues to exist not just in face to face relationships
- Means that there is social cues online but they are just different to face to face relationships
Strength of virtual relationships: Support for absence of dating
- Shy, lonely, socially anxious people find virtual relationships valuable
- Mckenna and Bargh looked at how these people were able to express themselves more than in face to face situations
- Found that relationships for these vulnerable people were more successful when formed online rather than face to face
