Virtual Relationships in Social Media- Self disclosure in virtual relationships Flashcards
What are the 2 contrasting theories?
- Reduced cues theory
- The hyper personal model
What is the reduced cues theory?
- Virtual relationships are less effective as there are no cues with interaction
- In virtual relationships there are no facial expressions, tone of voice or body language to indicate the communication
What is the hyper personal model?
- You can think about what you message rather than a face to face relationship where you may say the wrong thing
- You can also reinforce the messages with a reply or emoji
If the point is:
A strength of self disclosure in virtual relationships is that there is research to support the hyper personal model online.
What is the evidence and link?
Evidence- Whitty and Johnson found, whilst researching a number of online discussions, that the questions tended to be very direct, probing and sometimes intimate. These kinds of questions would never have been asked in a face to face meeting, as it would be seen as going too far and in a face to face discussion it typically consists of small talk. It was also found that people had no issue in answering the personal questions online and were direct and to the point.
Link- This suggests that there is empirical support for the hyper personal model which implies that virtual relationships lead to greater self disclosure.
If the point is:
A strength of self disclosure in virtual relationships is that it has practical applications which can be used to help certain groups.
What is explanation, evidence and link?
Explanation- For example, an environment in which people can control their self disclosures, such as the internet, can help vulnerable groups such as those with high social anxiety or conditions that impact social skills such as ASD.
Evidence- Schouten et al found people with high social anxiety experienced greater online disclosure due to the absence of non verbal cues that they typically struggle with. Such people were able to express their true selves more than in face to face situations. Of the relationships that initially formed online, 70% survived more than 2 years.
Link- Therefore, there are benefits that have a tangible effect on our society as a result of our understanding with online self disclosures.
If the point is:
A weakness of self disclosure in virtual relationships is that there may be cultural differences within it.
What is the evidence and link?
Evidence- For example, Yim and Hara found cultural differences between American, Korean and Japanese participants in how disclosure increased or decreased trust. American participants reported higher disclosure in virtual relationships led to high levels of trust, whereas Korean participants reported higher disclosure in virtual relationships led to lower levels of trust.
Link- This suggests that the self disclosure theory is not applicable to every culture.
If the point is:
A weakness of self disclosure in virtual relationships is that it suggests that relationships are multimodal.
What is the evidence and link?
Evidence- Walther argues that relationships are generally conducted online and offline through many different types of media, and this is done interchangeably in modern relationships. It is very rarely a straightforward matter of ‘either/or’. This is in fact probably the central characteristic of many modern relationships.
Link- Hence, examining the differences in self disclosure in online relationships is theoretically flawed.
What are the evaluation points for self disclosure in virtual relationships?
+ Research to support
+ Practical applications which can be used to help certain groups
– May be cultural differences within it
– Suggests that relationships are multimodal
