Virtual relationships in social media Flashcards
What is self-disclosure?
Revealing personal information about yourself. Romantic partners reveal more about their true selves as their relationship develops.
Who theorised the reduced cues theory?
Lee Sproull and Sara Kiesler
What is the reduced cues theory?
Virtual relationships are less effective that face to face ones because they lack many of the cues we normally depend on in FtF interactions.
These include non-verbal cues such as our physical appearance and emotional cues (facial expressions, tone of voice).
this reduces a person’s sense of individual identity in virtual relationships, which can lead to disinhibition.
People are unlikely to express their real thoughts and feelings to someone who is so impersonal.
Who came up with the hyperpersonal model?
Joseph Walther
What was the hyperpersonal model?
Joseph Walther argued that virtual relationships can be more personal and involve greater self-disclosure than FtF ones.
This is because virtual relationships can be develop very quickly as self-disclosure happens earlier, and once established they are more intense and intimate.
What are the two key features of hyperpersonal self-disclosure in virtual relationships?
- Selective-presentation:
The sender of the message has greater control over what to disclose and the cues they send can be more than they would in a FtF situation.
The sender manipulates their self-image to present themselves in an idealised way. - The receiver gains a positive impression of the sender, they may give feedback that reinforces the senders selective self-presentation.
What did John Bargh point out about anonymity
He pointed out that the outcome of this is like the strgangers on a train effect in FtF relationships.
When you’re aware that other people do not know your identity, you feel less accountable for your behaviour. so you may well disclose more about yourself to a stranger than to even your most intimate partner.
Who came up with the idea of a ‘gate’ in a relationship?
katelyn Mckenna and John Bargh
What is a gate?
Any obstacle to forming a relationship.
e.g. physical unattractiveness, facial disfigurements, a stammer, and social anxiety.
Benefits and drawbacks of gating
A key feature of virtual relationships is that gates are absent. This means that self-disclosure becomes more frequent and deeper.
A benefit of gates is that the individual is freed to be more like their true selves.
However, there is scope for people to create untrue identities and deceive people.
Evaluation: Lack of support for reduced cues
Joseph Walter and Lisa Tidwell point out that people in online interactions use other cues, such as style and timing of messages.
Acronyms and emojis can all be used as effective substitutes for facial expressions and tone of voice.
This means that virtual relationships can be as personal as FtF ones.
Evaluation: Lack of support for the hyperpersonal model
It is challenged by the findings of meta-analysis.
Erin Ruppel et al. carried out meta analysis of 25 studies that compared self-disclosures in FtF and virtual interactions.
They found that self-report studies showed that the frequency, breadth and depth of self-disclosures were all greater in FtF relationships.
This contradicts the hyperpersonal model’s view that the greater intimacy of virtual relationships should lead to more and deeper self-disclosures than in FtF relationships.
Evaluation: Support for absence of gating
One Strength is that shy, lonely and socially anxious people fid virtual relationships especially valuable.
Katelyn Mckenna and John Bargh looked at online communication by shy, lonely and anxious people. They found that these people were able to express their true selves more than in FtF situations.
Of the romantic relationships that formed 71% survived at least 2 years.
This suggests that shy people do benefit online presumably because the gating that obstructs FtF relationships is absent online.
