Virtual relationships Flashcards
(7 cards)
What is the Absence of Gating in virtual relationships?
Online communication removes barriers like attractiveness, speech issues, or social status, allowing connections based on self-disclosure rather than superficial traits.
What is Reduced Cues Theory?
Non-verbal signals are absent online, which can lead to misinterpretation or overinterpretation of messages.
How does Anonymity & Deindividuation affect self-disclosure?
People feel less accountable, lowering inhibitions and encouraging self-disclosure—sometimes resulting in intimacy, but also trolling or sexting.
What is the Hyperpersonal Model?
People present idealised versions of themselves and carefully manage their disclosures, creating rapid intimacy but also potential for deception.
What supporting evidence exists for virtual relationships being more intimate and lasting?
McKenna & Bargh (2000) found that individuals felt more able to express their true selves online. After two years, 70% of relationships that started online were still ongoing, compared to 50% of those that began offline.
This supports the hyperpersonal model and suggests online relationships can be more enduring and authentic.
What is a key limitation of early theories about virtual relationships?
A lack of temporal validity. Most theories were developed when online communication was mainly text-based.
What is a practical benefit of virtual relationships regarding social barriers?
Online interactions bypass traditional gating mechanisms (e.g. class, age, ethnicity, disability), allowing people who struggle with face-to-face interactions to form meaningful connections.
This can reduce loneliness and promote inclusion for otherwise socially marginalised individuals.
