virtual relationships in social media Flashcards
virtual relationships
-rubin (1975) suggested the nature of virtual relationships is close to the ‘stranger on the train’ phenomenon
-sproull and kiesler (1986) suggest online relationships may be less open and honest as the cues we rely on (e.g. facial expressions) are absent, this causes de-individuation as it reduces feelings of identity and creates behaviours people refrain from in face to face interactions
absence of gating
-in real life attraction is based on appearance, mannerisms, age and ethnicity, which limits potential partners
-online these barriers (gates) are absent, allowing more shy and less attractive people to develop relationships
-even when moving to face to face, these factors rarely cause a decrease in attraction
-this absence also means people can create virtual identities they couldn’t be in real life
self disclosure
-occurs must faster due to anonymity, in real life people don’t disclose personal info due to the fear of ridicule and it being passed to others, but there is much less chance of this online
-whitty and joinson (2009) found the online, questions and answers were more direct and probing
walther (1996, 2011) - the hyper personal model of virtual relationships
-suggests as self disclosure happens sooner, relationships get more intimate and meaningful quicker
-but they also end quicker as its harder to sustain the level of self disclosure
-easier to manipulate self disclosure online, people can edit responses to make themselves look better, this is selective self presentation
rosenfeld and thomas (2012) - importance of online communication for relationship development
-investigated if there was a link between having internet access at home and being in a relationship
-of 4000 people, 71.8% with access were in a relationship compared to 35.9% of those without access
-suggests a virtual environment helps people develop and sustain relationships
baker and oswald (2010) - usefulness of the absence of gating for shy people
-asked 207 people to do a questionnaire, rating shyness, internet use and perception of friendship quality
-found those who had high shyness and internet use, perceived the quality of their friendships as high, this correlation was absent for those with low shyness scores
-suggests online communication helps people with their shyness and improves their face to face communications
hollenbaugh and everett (2013) - investigating virtual relationships
-243 bloggers recruited via ad online, 154 of them were over 18
-content analysis done on 5 blogs that were recently posted with anything attached to them e.g. photos. correlated results to establish inter rater reliability
-younger bloggers had deeper self disclosures online , and women self disclosed more personal info. also, those who posted more pictures disclosed more info
-some support for the idea that people self disclose more online, but results suggest this may not be due to anonymity as those who self disclosed the most removed their anonymity
give a limitation of virtual relationships
online self disclosure varies based on the type of communication used. paine et al (2006) said the level of self disclosure depends on if the person anticipates the info going to a wider audience (they’ll present an edited version of themselves) or just close friends (will disclose more personal info). contradicts the claim that gating is always absent online, as info can become public which may reduce the quality and quantity of self disclosure
evaluate virtual relationships
face to face relationships can have a virtual element. lenhart and duggan (2014) studied american couples use of telecommunications. they found25% texted their partner while in the same house, 21% surveyed about their phone use said it helped them feel closer to their partner, 8% said their relationship suffered due to their partners online relationships with others. suggests real life relationships can be affected by virtual communications between the couple and others
give a limitation of virtual relationships
studying virtual relationships is affected by changes in a fast paced society. most research was done in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, and since then technology and therefore online relationships have changed drastically. so research risks becoming outdates by the time its published, lowering the temporal validity of research, so findings may not apply to current relationships
give a limitation of virtual relationships
research is mainly based on western, tech developed cultures. in some countries tech isn’t readily available so conclusions about the affects of virtual relationships can’t be applied.
additionally, attitudes to self disclose differ. nakanishi (1986) found japanese women prefer lower levels of self disclosure that american women. so the level of self disclosure depends on cultural norms and may affect online communication. lowers validity of research and limits the relationships it explains
give a limitation of virtual relationships
important giber differences. mckenna et al (2002) found women rated relationships online as more intimate and valued self disclosure, whereas men preferred activity based disclosure and rated online relationships as less close. suggests research may show an alpha bias as it assumes their experiences are different. however, their experiences of virtual relationships may be similar and there are in fact methodological issues with research that exaggerate the differences
