Self-disclosure

• Self-disclosure is different in FtF and online relationships
• Increasing use of social media has led to research on differences between the relationships formed and maintained online and those formed and maintained FtF
• Self-disclosure is crucial in FtF relationships so psychologists have turned their attention to its role and nature in virtual relationships- also known as computer-mediated communication (CMC)
• Reduced cues theory (Sproull and Kiesler) suggests that CMC relationships are less effective due to the lack of nonverbal cues (e.g physical appearance, emotional responses)- in FtF relationships we rely on these cues
• Lack of cues about emotional state (voice and facial expressions) leads to de-individuation- people then feel freer from the constraints of social norms (disinhibition) and this leads to blunt and even aggressive communication and a reluctance to self-disclose
• Reduced cues in CMC may lead to less self-disclosure
• CMC relationships may however include more self-disclosure
• Hyperpersonal model (Walther):

  suggests that early self-disclosure means that CMC relationships develop quickly. Such relationships can become more intense and intimate.

  However, CMC relationships can also end more quickly because of high excitement level but low levels of trust
• Self-disclosure differs in CMC because online image can be manipulated- the sender of a message can be selective about what and how they present themselves when self-disclosing. This, along with the feeling of anonymity, means that people may feel less accountable for their behaviour and disclose more than they would to their nearest non-online partners
• CMC= computer-mediated communication