virtual relationships

• Virtual Relationships:

  Self Disclosure:

  • Jouard
  • depends on privacy and public settings
  • public self-disclosure is an edited version of self (e.g. Facebook), more selective about what is shared
  • private self-disclosure is sharing info in private setting (e.g. messaging) with more control, share more sensitive and personal info
• Virtual Relationships (self-disclosure):

  Anonymity:

  • share more info
  • not self-disclose to someone until they are confident that they wont share with friends or respond negatively through rejection
  • reduces risks
  • Rubin: strangers on a train phenomenon
  • more likely to disclose to strangers as we will never see them again and they dont have access to our social circles
• Virtual Relationships (absence of gating):

  • physical appearances and mannerisms help to decide who someone has a relationship with
  • features: age or ethnicity categorize partners
  • online relationships remove these "gates" that limit opportunities of the shy or less attractive
  • anonymity means true self is likely to be active
  • Yurchisin: can present self more favorably, 11 online daters, presented themselves positively, profiles still matched true selves