virtual relationships

what are gates?

the barriers that limit opportunities for the less attractive, shy or less socially skilled to form relationships in face-to-face encounters

what is self-disclosure?

when a person reveals intimate personal information about themselves to another person

what are virtual relationships?

relationships conducted through the internet rather than face to face

what are examples of social networking sites?

• facebook

• twitter

• instagram

how many users did facebook have in 2015?

1.39 billion

what are the differences in the way that people conduct virtual relationships & face to face relationships?

• higher levels of self disclosure

• removal of gates

what are the two differing theories of the effects of virtual relationships on self disclosure?

• reduced cues theory

• hyperpersonal model

what is reduced cues theory?

people are less likely to self disclose online because of dinviduation created by the lack of cues that are present in ftf relationships

what are examples of cues in ftf relationships?

• facial expression

• body language

• tone of voice

what does deindividuation lead to?

disinhibited behaviour

who supports reduced cues theory?

Sproull & Kiesler

what is the hyperpersonal model?

self disclosure in online relationships happens earlier than ftf ones, they become more intense & more intimate but can also end more quickly

who proposed the hyperpersonal model?

Walther

why does Walther also suggest online relationships can feel more intimate?

it is easier to manipulate self disclosure online - selective self presentation

what evidence is there of the hyperpersonal model?

• 2009 research reviweing studies about romantic online interaction - people online tended to be more direct & personal - self disclosure was higher

what is strangers on a train?

Rubin - confeds disclosed information about themselves in varying levels of intimacy to complete strangers on trains, airport lounges & bus stops. he found that when confeds revealed intimate details, the stranger reciprocated

what did Jourard propose to explain the difference between disclosure to a romantic partner & sharing personal information in a public situation?

broadcasting self disclosure where disclosure in the public domain involves presenting an edition version of the self

why are people more secure when disclosing sensitive information in private?

there is increased control

how does anonymity lead to increased sefl disclosure on the internet?

• people are less afraid of disapproval

• less likely to know their social circle so more confidentiality

what personal factors are used to categorise potential partners?

• physical attractiveness

• age

• ethnicity

• education

what did Zhao find about the consequences of the absence of gating?

it can empower gated individuals to present the identityt they hope to establish by stretching the truth

what did Yurchisin find by interviewing online daters?

they tended to give accounts of both their real & better selves in dating profiles, stole other's ideas & copied images, but online & true identities were fairly close

what are the strengths of virtual relationships?

• importance of the internet for romance - Rosenfeld & Thomas - studied 4000 US adults - those with home internet access were more likely to be partnered - 72% with internet access were - even after controlling variables, still more than 2x as likely

• biological basis for self disclosure online - Tamir & Mitchell - increased MRI activity in two brain regions associated with reward - neural accumbens & ventral tegmental - activated when speaking about theirselves - self disclosure is a human tendency

• social media helps friendships - Baker & Oswald - surveyed 200+ people about shyness, facebook usage & quality of friendships, correlation for shy people for facebook & quality - can overcome barriers

what are the weaknesses of virtual relationships?

• Zhao et al - online & offline world not separate - online relationships have consequences for offline ones - may give confidence - digital services can enhance self esteem - increase connection IRL

• gender differences - McKenna et al - women found online relationships more intimate - valued self-disclosure while men valued activities based conversation - research may be alpha biased - methodological issues