Virtual relationships

Question 1

Michna et al.

Answer 1

Young people thought of virtual relationships in the same vein as physical ones
Therefore, it’s likely virtual relationships will increase as more people enter dating ages.

Question 2

Cornwell & Lundgren

Answer 2

Surveyed 80 chat rooms and found…
- 28% misrepresented their physical appearance
- 23% their age
- 18% their background

Question 3

What is the reduced cues theory?

Answer 3

Sproull & Kiesler (1986)
- CMC relationships are less effective than FtF ones as they lack many of the cues we normally depend on in FtF interactions.

Question 4

What are nonverbal cues?

Answer 4

Facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, overall physical appearance

Question 5

The Hyperpersonal Model

Answer 5

Walther (1996, 2001)
- Argued online relationships can be more personal and involve greater self-disclosure that FtF ones:
- CMC relationships develop very quickly
- Self-disclosure happens earlier
- Once established, are more intense and intimate
- Can also end quicker: the high excitement level of the interaction isn’t matched by the level of trust

Question 6

What are the key features of virtual relationships that impact self-disclosure?

Answer 6

• Time to Manipulate Disclosure
• Confidence Behind a Shield
• Greater Anonymity

Question 7

What is time to manipulate disclosure?

Answer 7

• The sender of a message has more time to manipulate their online image than they would in a FtF situation.
• Walther calls this: selective self-presentation.
• People online have more control over what to disclosure and the cues they send.
• It is much easier to manipulate self-disclosure to promote intimacy, by self-presenting in a positive, idealised way

Question 8

What is confidence behind a shield?

Answer 8

• When your behaviour changes as you are behind a shield and feel protected from consequences.
• E.g., swearing at someone in a car as you can drive away
  trolling someone online because you cannot be seen
  disclosing something intimate to someone because there is the shield of them not being able to see you

Question 9

Mckenna and Bargh (1999)

Answer 9

Argued a huge advantage of CMC is the absence of gating. A relationship can develop to the point where self-disclosure becomes more frequent and deeper. The absence of gating can allow an online relationship to ‘get off the ground’ in a way that is less likely to happen in a FtF situation

Question 10

What is gating?

Answer 10

Deficiencies that may give you the ick

Question 11

What is a FtF relationship?

Answer 11

Face to Face

Question 12

What is a CMC relationship?

Answer 12

Computer-mediated-communication

Question 13

How can the absence of gating in VR be seen?

Answer 13

In VR these gates do not exist initially to the same extent as FtF relationships. Communicating online removes a number of factors that may act as filters or barriers stopping interactions in FtF encounters