Virtual Relationships

Question 1

How are Dating Apps Benefiting people looking for Relationships?

Answer 1

• more people to meet.

- apps usually filter pool of availables based on preferences you’ve given them.

Question 2

How Does Self-Disclosure Work in Virtual Relationships?

Answer 2

• due to the anonymity of the internet, people are more likely to reveal more personal details and intimate information without the fear of social embarrassment.

Question 3

Explain the Absence of Gating in Virtual Relationships.

Answer 3

• face to face relationships can have barriers that restrict the formation of a romantic relationship such as physical attractiveness.
• this allows shy or less attractive people to form romantic relationships, as gating cannot occur in online relationships.

Question 4

What is Gating?

Answer 4

Features of characteristics that prevent two people getting to know each their face to face such as attractiveness, age or ethnicity.

Question 5

What can an absence of Gating encourage?

Answer 5

• catfishing as there is no need to use your own pictures due to lack of face-to-face encounters.
• could damage gated people’s self confidence further.

Question 6

What did Hollenbaugh and Everett (2013) do?

Answer 6

• 154 bloggers of various ages had their blogs analysed.

Question 7

What did Hollenbaugh and Everett (2013) find?

Answer 7

• younger bloggers disclosed more.
• female bloggers disclosed more.
• young female bloggers disclosed most.
  MORE DISCLOSURE ONLINE WAS ONLY DEPENDANT ON AGE AND GENDER.

Question 8

Evaluating: Explain one weakness of Virtual relationships.

Answer 8

• constantly outdated due to repeated social media and dating app updates and improvements.
• cannot be applied to all dating websites or virtual relationships.

Question 9

Evaluating: What did McKenna et al (2002) find?

Answer 9

• that couples who first met online liked each other more than couples who met each other face to face (because of communications feeling more intimate).

Question 10

Evaluating: What did Rosenfield and Thomas (2012) find?

Answer 10

• there was no difference in the quality of virtual versus offline relationships which contradicts belief tat virtual relationships are superficial.