Virtual relationships in social media

Question 1

Self disclosure in virtual relationships

Answer 1

This relates to how we reveal information about ourselves in computer mediated relationships (CMC) that do not involve face to face interactions (FtF). There are two major theories:

Question 2

1. Reduced cues theory

Answer 2

• CMC relationships are less effective than FtF ones because they lack many of the cues on which we normally depend on such as facial expressions, tone of voice etc.
• This leads to an anonymity increasing, deindividuation and an increase in anti-social behaviour as we are less constrained by social norms that govern our behaviour.
• Therefore reluctant to self disclose.

Question 3

2. The hyperpersonal model

Answer 3

• This proposes that online relationships can be more personal and involves greater self-disclosure than FtF.
• people can edit their online presence to an idealised version of themselves which makes it easier to manipulate self disclosure to promote intimacy.
• The increased anonymity also increases the chance of revealing personal information.

Question 4

Absence of gating

Answer 4

• A gate is any obstacle to the formation of a relationship
• FtF interaction is gated including features such as attractiveness, a stammer, social anxiety
• CMC involves an absence of gating which allows relationships to develop more easily
• Refocuses attention onto self disclosure and away from superficial features.
• it allows people to create online identities that are different to their actual ones.

Question 5

Evaluation strength: hyper personal model

Answer 5

Whitty and Joinson(2009) found that online discussions tend to be direct, probing and intimate without the small talk that is a characteristic of FtF interactions.

Question 6

Evaluation strength: absence of gating

Answer 6

McKenna and Bargh (2002) found that 70% of anxious people’s relationships survived more than two years which suggests they were able to reveal their true selves and were not restricted by the gate of their anxiousness.

Question 7

Evaluation weakness: reduced cues theory

Answer 7

CMC do use cues, but in a different formation. e.g. use of acronyms, emoticons and time taken to return to a message.

Question 8

Evaluation weakness: overlooks the different types of CMC

Answer 8

for example, we disclose to differing degrees on different social media as we are more likely to be truthful when we are anonymous like a chatroom.

Question 9

Evaluation weakness: multimodal

Answer 9

they occur offline and online so these theories are limited in their application as they make the assumption that these relationships occur exclusively online which is not the case.