Relationships

• Giddens (1992) - Confluent love 


  we can choose who we love, eg. online dating
• Turkle (2011) - "alone together"

  communication tools distance us from one another, we sit in the same room but focus on our devices rather than each other
• Kraut

  online social ties are weaker than offline relationships
• Bauman

  • social media is very useful, they provide pleasure, but they are a trap
  • the difference between a community and a network is that you belong to a community, but a network belongs to you - you feel in control
  • the strengths of social ties are becoming weakened due to social media, our social networks are becoming liquid
• Granovetter (1973)

  the strengths of social ties between individuals can be measured by:

  • the amount of time spent together
  • the emotional intensity of the relationship
  • the level of intimacy, romantic & platonic
  • the degree of reciprocity
• Zhao (2006)

  • activities that connect communities have a positive correlation to social ties, eg. chats online
  • solitary activities have a negative correlation to social ties, eg. scrolling on the internet
• Feld (1981)

  people use social networks to evaluate both themselves and others, a person‘s identity is determined by the network of friends he or she maintains
• Shaw and Grant (2002)

  • internet use significantly decreased loneliness and depression
  • internet use significantly increased social support and self-esteem
• Miller and Clayton

  found that time spent on Facebook and Twitter could cause damage to relationships and marriages
• Miller

  “friending” on Facebook reinforces superficial relationships, diminishing the value of true friendship
• Turkle

  the devotion to checking the mobile phone is almost religious, leading to greater anxiety