Discuss self-disclosure and absence of gating as factors affecting virtual relationships.

AO1

• what is self-disclosure…

• reduced cues theory

  • the social aspect of online conversation is lost, lose one’s sense of identity, undergo deindividuation, increases aggression, messages become more blunt and harsh, reduces self-disclosure

• hyperpersonal model

  • online allows selective self-presentation, can promote intimacy though controlling the environment of conversation, increased self-disclosure, heightened level doesn’t match level of trust, results in boom and bust

• strangers on a train effect

  • sense of anonymity makes one feel more comfortable in disclosing personal information

• absence of gating

  • an online presence allows the user to overcome barriers to relationship formation that exist in real-life such as a speech impediment, or social anxiety, focus is less superficial and allows the relationship to get off the ground much quicker than in person

AO3

• cues aren’t reduced, just different, use of emojis and acrostics can be used to convey social dynamics

• Joinson (2009) summarises a wealth of evidence that suggests communication is more likely to be hedged around small talk when in person compared to online chat rooms in which conversations are far more to the point

• McGarty (2001) hate comments on social media are most likely to originate from anonymous profiles, link between online hidden identities and aggressive communication

• Paine (2006) argues that there are different types of online self-disclosure based on where they occur, people were more reluctant to disclose personal information on a form than on their facebook account, not a blanket phenomenon

• modern relationships are multimodal, very difficult to separate online and offline relationships as wholly different concepts

  • greater ecological validity to study them with an interactionist mindset as findings would better represent real-life

• Bargh (2000) studied relationships formed online by anxious people, 70% of them lasted over two years, much higher success rate than in-person relationships, they found themselves more able to be their true selves