Virtual Relationships in Social Media Flashcards
What are virtual relationships?
Virtual relationships are relationships are formed and maintained online
Psychologists have become more and more interested in virtual relationships or computer mediated communications.
What three theories explain how self disclosure present itself in virtual relationships?
1* The Reduced Cues Theory
2* The Hyperpersonal Model
3* The Absence of Gating
Who were the psychologists behind the reduced cues theory?
What does the reduced cues theory state?
Sproull + Kiesler stated virtual relationships lack the cues that face to face relationships have such as physical appearance, tone of voice, facial expressions, body languages, cues to emotions etc.
This will lead to de - individuation (reduction of a person’s sense of individual identity) which in turn leads to disinhibition (communicating in blunt and aggressive ways) because people feel freer from the constraints of social norms. Overall, people are less likely to reveal true emotions and thoughts
What is disinhibition?
What is de - individuation?
Disinhibition - When people communicate in blunt and aggressive ways
De - individuation - When there is a reduction of a person’s sense of individual identity
Who were the psychologists behind the hyperpersonal model?
What does the hyperpersonal model state?
Walther stated that virtual relationships involved greater self disclosure than face to face relationships. In virtual relationships, self - disclosure happens earlier which then leads to more intimate and intense relationships.
What is a key feature of the hyperpersonal model?
A key feature of the hyperpersonal model is that virtual relationships involve selective self - presentation; which means that the sender of a message has greater control over what to disclose and how to they are presented, more positive. Self disclosures may be intensely truthful (hyperhonest) or intensely false (hyper dishonest). This means that the receiver is easily manipulated by the self disclosure, promoting intimacy in the relationship by self presenting in an ideal way
What does Bargh et al state in the hyperpersonal model?
Bargh et al states people are more likely to self disclose because other people do not know you and so people feel less accountable for their behaviour
What does the absence of gating theory state and who is behind the theory?
Mckenna et al stated the absence of gating in virtual relationships leads to greater self disclosure.
A gate is a feature that acts as a barrier in the development of the relationship, like physical attractiveness
In virtual relationships, most of these gates are absent meaning that people are more likely to self disclose information to each other, leading to faster and imaate development of the relationship
However the lack of face to face interaction could lead to people lying about their identities, looks and characteristics
What is a “gate” referred to as in the absence of gating theory?
What is a disadvantage of limited face to face interactions in virtual relationships?
A “gate” is a feature that acts as a barrier in the development pf the relationship, like physical attractiveness.
The lack of face to face interactions can lead to people lying about their identities, looks and characteristics
What is a limitation of virtual relationships in social media? (lack of support + types of cues)
There is a lack of support for the reduced cues theory. Critics argue that online non - verbal cues are different to face to face cues. Online interactions involve different types of cues such as the use of emoticons to represent facial expressions or time taken to respond to a message may be significant in the interpretation of someone’s thoughts and characteristics. For this reason, critics argue that virtual relationships can be just as personal s face to face ones
What is a limitation of virtual relationships in social media? (meta analysis + different self disclosure type)
There is a lack of support for the hyperpersonal model. A meta analysis of 25 studies from Ruppet et al showed that the frequency and depth of self disclosures were all greater in face to face relationships than in virtual relationships. However, counter - evidence from Whitty and Joinson show that the type of self disclosure between virtual and face to face relationships are different. In virtual relationships, people are more likely to ask direct questions and reveal more (hyperhonest) but also likely to manipulate their self presentation to present themselves in a more positive light (hyper dishonest) whereas self disclosure in face to face interactions is more limited to small talk, supporting the model’s claims
What is a strength of virtual relationships in social media? (supportive evidence for absence of gating)
There is supportive evidence for Mckenna and Bargh’s views on the absence of gating. There is evidence that shy, lonely and socially anxious people find virtual relationships easier and more valuable. Of the romantics relationships, that were initially formed by shy people online, 71% survived for at least two years, compared with 49% of relationships for shy people formed offline
What is a limitation of virtual relationships in social media? (undistinguished types of virtual relationships)
A limitation of these explanations is that they do not distinguish types of virtual relationships. From online e - commerce forms through to Facebook and to online dating, the level of self - disclosure varies considerably. People disclose more in areas that they consider private such as Facebook where posts can be only be seen by friends. People tend to disclose less on webforms that involve the collection of data. This means that the validity of theories that consider all virtual relationships in the same way will be limited
