Virtual Relationships

Question 1

What is CMC

Answer 1

Computer-mediated communication.

Encompasses a wide variety of electronic communication methods, where relationships can be formed or maintained.

Question 2

Define self-disclosure

Answer 2

Involves sharing personal info:
- Thoughts
- Dreams
- Fears
- Goals
- Preferences

An important way to strengthen relationships and build trust.

Question 3

Why would someone self-disclose more online?

Answer 3

-Anonymity
- May not care as much because might never meet them
- Less consequences.
- Time to think about what to say
- Less embarrassment

Question 4

Why would someone self-disclose less online?

Answer 4

Worry of:
- Blackmailing
- Trolling
- Catfishing
- Screenshotting
- Editing

Question 5

What is paralanguage?

Answer 5

A form of nonverbal communication.
For example:
- Body posture
- Eye gaze
These may express liking even if verbal communication does not.

Still paralanguage signals on the phone:
- Pauses
- Tone of voice

All non-verbal communication lost on the internet –> dependant only on words and nothing else.

Question 6

Why is paralanguage so important?

Answer 6

Non-verbal paralanguage may be more important than words.

Allows people to add layers of meaning to their spoken utterances through the manipulation of the manner of speech, or the way they say things.

Question 7

The 2 contrasting theories of self disclosure in CMC?

Answer 7

1. Reduced cues theory
2. Hyperpersonal model

Question 8

What is reduced cues theory?

Answer 8

• Sprouil & Kiesler (86)
• CMC relationships are less effective than F2F
• Lack cues we normally depend on
• e.g. appearance, emotional state, facial expression and tone of voice

Question 9

What does reduced cues theory lead to?

Answer 9

• No cues can cause individualisation (reduces peoples sense of identity)
• Encourages disinhibition in relating to others.

Question 10

Reduced cues theory says CMC relationships are likely to…

Answer 10

• Involve blunt communication.
• Consequence of this = reluctance to self-disclose.
• Unlikely to initiate a relationship.

Question 11

What is Hyperpersonal Model?

Answer 11

• Walther (96-11)
• Online relationships can be more personal and involve greater disclosure than F2F ones.
• Relationships can develop quickly as SD happens earlier so once established are more intense and intimate.

Question 12

What is the boom and bust phenomenon?

Answer 12

• Cooper and Sportolari (97)
• Online relationships end more quickly due to high excitement level of interaction not matched by level of trust.

Question 13

What is the selected self-presentation in the hyperpersonal model?

Answer 13

The idea that people online have:
- More control over what they self-disclose.
- More time to manipulate their online image than in F2F situations.
- Much easier to manipulate it to promote intimacy in CMC relationships.

Question 14

What other aspect of CMC promotes SD?

Answer 14

Anonymity as when you know that ppl don’t know your identity, you are more likely to self-disclose more about yourself to a stranger.

Question 15

What is a gate?

Answer 15

A feature/obstacle that could interfere with the development of a relationship (F2F)

Question 16

What is gating?

Answer 16

KcKenna and Bargh (99)

F2F interaction is gated as it involves many features that can interfere with early development of a relationship e.g. physical unattractiveness, facial disfiguration, stammer and social anxiety.

Question 17

Advantages of gating

Answer 17

• Gates are absent so individual is free to be more like their true selves when compared to F2F interactions
• Because of this, relationship develops to point where SD is more frequent then develop and deepen quicker.
• Allows relationship to ‘get of the ground (in a way less likely than in F2F).
• More interested in what you tell rather than what you look and sound like.

Question 18

Disadvantages of gating

Answer 18

Scope for people to create untrue identities and deceive people by changing their profile picture, name, age and gender, can’t do F2F

Question 19

4 evaluation points for virtual relationships

Answer 19

+ Research support for the hyperpersonal model.
+ Support for the absence of gating.
- Lack of research for reduced cues.
- Explanations into CMC relationships do not distinguish type of CMC.

Question 20

+ AO3 - Research for the hyperpersonal model

Answer 20

• Whitty & Joinson (09)
• Found supporting evidence for people SDing in ways which are hyper honest and hyper dishonest.
• E.g. questions asked in online discussions tend to be very direct, probing, and intimate and this is different to F2F conversations

Question 21

+ AO3 - Support for absence of gating

Answer 21

• McKenna & Bargh (02)
• Found lonely and socially anxious people were able to express their ‘true selves’ more in CMC than in F2F.
• Of the romantic relationships that initially formed online, 70% survived more than 2 years later (higher than relationships formed in the offline world).
• Suggests CMC can be helpful to support people who are socially anxious or have a hard time building relationships in F2F.
• Therefore building their confidence.

Question 22

• AO3 - Lack of research for reduced cues

Answer 22

• Walther & Tidwell
• Suggest cues in CMCs are simply different from F2F ones.
• Plenty of cues in CMC just not nonverbal ones.
• Emoticons, emojis, and acrostics (e.g. LOL) are considered effective substitutes in CMCs.
• So the proposal that there are reduced cues in CMCs appears untrue.

Question 23

• AO3 - explanations don’t distinguish types of CMC

Answer 23

• From online e-commerce forms to Facebook and to online dating, the level of self disclosure varies considerably.
• E.g. people may disclose more in areas that they consider private (e.g. facebook) and disclose less on web forms that involve collection of data.