virtual relationships

• self-disclosure: expect to see more as it is not ftf, they can openly communicate their secrets without judgment
• reduced cues theory: Sproull and Kiesler (1986):

  • argued that virtual relationships are less effective than ftf as they lack cues that we are normally dependent on in ftf interactions.
  • nonverbal cues (physical appearance) or cues to our emotional state (facial expressions, tone of voice).

  this reduces a person's sense of individual identity within a virtual relationship which will lead to disinhibition.
• hyper-personal model: Walther (1996)

  • argues that virtual relationships can be more personal and involve greater self-disclosure than in face-to-face.
  • virtual relationships can develop more quickly as self-disclosure happens early on, creating a more intense and intimate bond.

  the sender has great control over what to disclose and what cues to send - selective self-presentation, where the sender can manipulate their self-image to present themselves in an idealized way.

  • it can be intensely truthful (hyper honest) or intensely false (hyper dishonest).
• gating: an obstacle that is in the way which prevents a relationship to form

  • online, there is an absence of traditional gates

  Mckenna and Bargh (1999) believe that the absence of gating is an advantage to computer-mediated communication as self-disclosure becomes more frequent and meaningful.
• evaluation:

  strength:

  • socially anxious people find virtual relationships valuable. Mckenna and Bargh (2000) looked at online communication and found that these people were able to express their true selves

  weakness:

  • lacks temporal validity, gates would not have existed online, technologies advancements mean that research cannot keep up.
  • imposed etic; assuming that self-disclosure affects virtual relationships universally.