virtual relationships Flashcards
what is a virtual relationship?
relationships where people are not face to face present and communicate exclusively online
what is a gate in a virtual realtionship?
a gate is any obsticle to the relationship eg physical unattractiveness, social anxiety
what are negatives of gates
- stalls a relationship
- makes it harder to commit to one
- doesnt allow the relationship to run smoothly
strengths of absences of gates
- encourages self disclosure
- allows creation of online identities
- makes yourself seem more interesting to the online partner
self disclosure affects on virtaul relationships
- self disclosure occurs a lot faster due to anonymity
- less risk of personal info to get leaked to friends or family
- fear of rejection is lower so more information is shared
what is hyperpersonal model do?
walther 1996
identifies unique features of virtual relationships
what are the 3 components of the hyperperosnal model
- boom and bust
- anonymity
- selective self preservation
what is the boom + bust aspect in the hyperpersonal model
- romances develop quickly
- self disclosure happens earlier
- once established relationships are more intense and intimate
- they can end very quickly though
what is the anonymity aspect of the hyperpersonal model
others dont know your identity, so you disclose more information that what you would of face to face
what is the selective self preservation aspect of the hyperpersonal mode
- there is more time to manipulate your online image than on face to face siuations
- when online there is more control over what you let the other person see
what research supports the hyperpersonal model?
whitty and johnson 2009
what did whitty and johnson do to support the hyperpersonal model?
- looked at online communication
- found that discussions are more direct and involve intimate questions
- supports the model as it explains why online relationships occur faster
