Self disclosure in Virtual relationships

Question 1

Hyper personal model

Answer 1

Walther (1996) proposed the hyper-personal model of virtual relationships which argues that there is increased self-disclosure in virtual relationships and this means that virtual relationships become deeper/more intimate more quickly than face-to-face relationships. Virtual relationships can also end more quickly, however, as it is difficult to sustain the same level of intense self-disclosure for a long time.

Question 2

Self selective presentation

Answer 2

Individuals online can engage in selective self presentation where they only show/reveal what they choose to reveal. Participants in online conversations have more time to edit their responses to present themselves in a more positive light. Projecting a positive image will make a virtual partner want to disclose more personal information, increasing the intensity of the relationship.

Question 3

Hyper personal model eval

Answer 3

+Whitty and Joinson (2009) conducted research which clearly demonstrates the effect of being online on self-disclosure. They discovered that in online discussion forums both questions and answers tend to be more direct and intimate than in everyday face-to-face interactions, as the hyper-personal model would predict.

-Research has found that relationships which begin online are more durable than other relationships, rather than ending more quickly as the hyper-personal model suggests. This is because of more open self-disclosure early on in the relationship

-Self-disclosure varies depending on the online context. People disclose more on gaming sites than they do on dating websites because the latter is more likely to lead to face-to-face encounters in the future.

Question 4

Reduced cue theory

Answer 4

Spoull and Kiesler (1986) argued that people may be less open and honest in virtual relationships compared to face-to-face ones. In real life, we use non-verbal cues like facial expressions and tone of voice to understand each other—these are missing online.

According to reduced cues theory, the lack of these signals can lead to deindividuation, where people feel less like individuals and may behave in ways they normally wouldn’t, such as being more aggressive. This can lead to less self-disclosure, as others may feel uncomfortable or become targets of this aggression.

Question 5

Reduce cue theory eval

Answer 5

-Reduced cue theory was developed when social media lacked face-to-face interaction, meaning they were much less rich in non-verbal communication than real life interactions. However, advanced technology allows for live interaction, which is much more similar to real life interactions.

-Non-verbal communication is not absent from virtual relationships, the cues are just different, e.g. emoticons are used as substitutes for facial expression. The timing of responses is also an important form of non-verbal communication