Positive Impact Of Digital Communication On Relationships

Question 1

Granovetter

Answer 1

• States that the strength of ties between two people can be judged by examining: The amount of time spent together, the emotional intensity of the relationship, the level of intimacy and the degree of reciprocity
• Based on this, it is clear to state that people have strong ties with close friends and family, but weak ties
  with people who are considered more as acquaintances
• argues that weak ties are just as important as strong ties as they sometimes lead to connections between
  members of networks
• Weak ties connect individuals with people whom they may not normally have many commonalities with therefore helping to increase their social networks

Question 2

Kraut et al

Answer 2

• Critiqued research in the 1990s which suggested the internet was having a negative impact on people’s relationships as they found that the internet played a key role in helping to maintain and develop social ties with others
• They did however find online interactions cannot
  replace face to face ones

Question 3

Shaw and gant

Answer 3

• positive about the impacts of digital communication
• They examined the positive impacts of it on users’
  psychological health
• They tracked data over time and found that internet use helped to decrease loneliness and depression significantly