Virtual relationships in social media

• Self-disclosure in virtual relationships:

  There are two major and contrasting theories on how self-disclosure operates in computer-mediated communication (CMC)

  • Reduced cues theory
  • The hyperpersonal model
• Reduced cues theory:

  • Sproull and Kiesler (1986) suggest that computer-mediated communication (CMC) relationships are less effective than face-to-face interactions
  • This is because they lack many of the cues we normally depend on in face-to-face interactions
  • These include cues such as physical appearance, emotional state, tone of voice and facial expressions
  • This lack of cues leads to de-individuation which means it reduces people’s sense of individual identity
• Reduced cues theory:

  • As individuals lose their sense of individual identity due to a lack of cues, they then become more disinhibited in virtual relationships: e.g. Blunt and aggressive
  • As a result of all of this, individuals in online relationships are unlikely to self-disclose because they do not want to reveal personal information to someone who is so impersonal and has a hidden identity
  • This means that computer-mediated communication (CMC) relationships are less effective than face-to-face interactions
• Hyperpersonal Model:

  • Walther (1996, 2011) argues that online relationships can be more personal and involve greater self-discloser than face-to-face ones
  • This is because CMC relationships can develop very quickly as self-disclosure happens earlier and can be more intense/intimate
  • They can also end more quickly because although there is a high excitement level in virtual relationships, there is not a high level of trust between the partners
• Hyper personal Model:

  • A key feature of self-disclosure in virtual relationships is that the sender of a message has more time to change and manipulate their online image than they would in a face-to-face situation
  • This means they can choose what to disclose and which cues to send
  • Therefore, it is much easier to present themselves in a positive and idealised way, making self-disclosure more effective in virtual relationships than face-to-face ones
• Hyper personal Model:

  • Anonymity can also increase self-disclosure in virtual relationships as individuals do not feel accountable for their behaviour so don’t fear disclosing personal info
• Absence of gating in VRs:

  • A ‘gate’ is any obstacle to the formation of a relationship
  • Face-to-face interaction is said to be gated, in that it involves many features that can interfere with the early development of a relationship
  • E.g. Unattractiveness, anxiety, shyness, etc.
  • McKenna and Bargh (1999) argue that a huge advantage of virtual relationships is the absence of gating. This means that the features that could interfere with the development of a relationships are hidden (e.g. Physical attractiveness, social anxiety, etc.)
• Absence of ‘gating’:

  • This means relationships can develop more quickly than face-to-face ones because self-disclosure becomes more frequent and deeper as individuals can create an online personal identity that they are comfortable with
  • In virtual relationships, the lack of ‘gates’ means that appearance does not get in the way of an individual creating their own personal identity. E.g. A shy person could become a talkative person
• AO3:

  • limitation of the reduced cues theory of virtual relationships is that it assumes non-verbal cues are completely missing in virtual relationships
  • However, Walther and Tidwell (1995) point out that people in online interactions use other cues such as how long they take to reply to a message
  • Also, emojis can be used as replacements for the facial expressions and tone of voice in face-to-face expressions
  • limitation because it suggests that online communications can be just as personal as those conducted face to face, as they do allow emotional cues to be presented
• AO3:

  • There is research to support the hyperpersonal model’s prediction that online relationships are more personal and involve greater self-disclosure than face-to-face
  • Whitty and Joinson (2009) found that questions asked in online discussions tend to be very direct, probing and intimate
  • This is different to face to face conversations which mainly involve small talk
  • These findings support the central claim of the hyperpersonal model, which is that people are more motivated to self-disclose in online interactions rather than face to face.
• AO3:

  • A limitation of theories of online self-disclosure is that they assume self-disclosure is the same throughout all online interactions
  • However, there is a difference in how much people self-disclose depending on the type of social media
  • For example, people may self-disclose more in their Facebook status updates than they are willing to in completing an online webform
• AO3: continued

  • This suggests that any theory that assumes self-disclosure and online communication is the same across all social media is unlikely to be completely valid as it is ignoring the differences between different online social media
• AO3:

  • A limitation of theories explaining online communications is that they often ignore the fact that relationships are conducted both online and offline
  • For example, what we choose to disclose in our online relationships will be influenced by our offline interactions and vice versa
  • Therefore, theories such as the hyperpersonal model that assume online relationships produce more personal and greater self-disclosure than face-to-face are ignoring the fact that online and offline interactions work together to determine how much people self-disclose online