virtual relationships

• what is a virtual relationship?

  • non physical interaction with people communicating via socia media through internet
• internet & social media?

  • have become key factors in relationships of many people in modern world involving both romantic relationships & friendships
• self disclosure in virtual relationships?

  • theres more disclosure than face to face relationships due to anonymity
  • more likely to disclose personal info to people who are strangers as they feel less socially embarrassed as info is not likely to be leaked to their social group
  • may occur earlier than in face to face relationships - may develop more intimacy earlier - do not apply gating mechanisms that apply for face to face relationships
• what is self disclosure?

  • sharing personal info about yourself to another person
• what are gating mechanisms?

  • obstacles that cause failure to form relationships
  • eg physical attractiveness
• absence of gating?

  • in face to face relationships there is gating - limits ability to form relationships
  • eg if someone is physically unattractive you stop formation of relationship & do not spend time getting to know person
  • absence of gating means relationship is more likely to progress & intimacy is built through self disclosure so when these issues are brought up it does not matter as much to relationship
• mckenna 2000?

  • put p in 2 groups
  • 1 group interacted with partner in person for 20 mins on 2 real occasions
  • other group interacted with partner via internet chat room for 20 mins on 2 occasions before meeting face to face
  • found partners were more likely when they met via internet than face to face as it seemed more intimate
  • shows VR cause more intimate relationship perhaps due to self disclosure being easier to achieve & more high risk info being disclosed
• * practical application?

  • research has highlighted that VR are good for peple who would normally use gated mechanisms in real world - shy/social anxiety/stutter
  • can be used as therapy for those people with these difficulties in order to create friendships & romantic rs to build their confidence & social skills that they can use in real world & enable happier life
  • has helped people in real world form successful romantic rs & through use of self disclosure people can also improve chance of making face to face connections as well as online
  • so theory is accurate
• 2 X of virtual relationships?

  1. use of questionnaires
  2. leads to pressure on people
• X use of questionnaires?

  • pro - efficient method of gathering info on VR as many people can complete research at same time & gain large sample size
  • con - suffer from social desirability - p may lie about having intimate rs online/feel uncomfortable discussing it in questionnaire
  • although lots of rich & detailed data can be collected from this research may be inaccurate & based on false info regarding formation & maintenace of VR & extent to which they are desirable
• X leads to pressure on people?

  • with increase in use of internet & social media research shows that disclosure is more prominent in these kinds of rs
  • leads to people feeling pressure to also disclose intimate details on internet especially those vulnerable - young teens - feel pressured to disclos likes/dislikes & may feel uncomfortable especially if being asked something inappropriate & about their emotional/sexual preferences
  • ? credible
  • has negative effect on people by making them feel uncomfortable & pressured into disclosure
  • leads them to pursue online rs they may not want to be in