virtual relationships in social media

Question 1

what are virtual relationships?

Answer 1

interactions and connections formed through online platforms such as social media

Question 2

how has social media helped the development of virtual relationships?

Answer 2

people are interacting daily with individuals they have never met face to face

Question 3

how is self disclosure different in virtual relationships?

Answer 3

• online anonymity reduces fear of judgement so self disclosure is faster and more intense
• individuals can manipulate their self disclosure to present themselves more positively

Question 4

how is gating different in virtual relationships?

Answer 4

• A gate is any barrier that may prevent virtual relationships developing into face to face contexts
• The internet removes gates such as location, shy individuals can also take time when responding
• people can alter appearances e.g photoshop, however leads to deception

Question 5

how are communication cues different in virtual relationships?

Answer 5

• sproull and kiesler argued that absence of non verbal cues such as facial expressions when online reduces openness and trust

Question 6

what did rosenfield and thomas find?

Answer 6

studied 4k participants and found 71.8% of those with internet access were in relationships compared to 36% of those without, suggesting online environments facilitate this

Question 7

strengths of virtual relationships

Answer 7

• research highlights the positive role of virtual relationships in overcoming social barriers, especially for introverts
• absence of gating expands opportunities for those who may be discriminated when face to face

Question 8

limitations of virtual relationships

Answer 8

reduced temporal validity - most research done in 90s and 00s - technology advanced since then making findings less applicable

cultural bias - often conducted on western cultures with advanced tech

gender differences