3.5: Virtual relationships in social media

Question 1

Explain why it may be easier for individuals to self-disclose in virtual rather than face to face relationships (2 marks)

Answer 1

It’s easier for an individual to self-disclose in a virtual than a face to face relationship, because virtual relationships have fewer gating features that limit the ability to reveal intimate details about oneself.
For example, in face to face relationships, individuals who lack physical attractiveness may find it hard to intimately self-disclose, but this isn’t a limiting factor in virtual relationships