Virtual Relationships

• Virtual relationships are relationships conducted through the internet rather than face to face
• Such relationships start online and then may eventually move FtF
• it could be argued that there’s more self disclosure in VRs due to the anonymity and they have time to think about what to say which means they’ll be less embarrassed
• There could be less self disclosure in VRs since it can be less honest due to the story being edited
• Walter (1996, 2011) argues that VRs are hyper personal and involve greater self disclosure than FtF relationships due to the speed they develop
• Cooper and Sportolari (1997) suggested the boom and bust phenomenon where the increased level of SD in a VR makes the relationship feel exhilarating at first but this feeling won’t be sustained because the underlying trust and knowledge of the other person isn’t present to support the relationship
• Walther suggested that individuals have control over what information they disclose to others over the internet and can manipulate their online image through the information they disclose, presenting themselves in a positive and idealised way. Walther called this ‘selective self-presentation’
• Tidwell and Walther (2002) recruited 158 students who didn’t know each other and asked them to discuss in opposite pairs, either virtually or FtF. People skip peripheral questioning that’s characteristic of FtF relationships, opting instead for more direct and intimate self-disclosure to aid relationship formation
• Yum and Hara (2005) found that there are cultural differences in how self disclosure in online relationships is perceived. It was found that US participants believed that the greater amount of SD in VRs the more trust while Korean participants believed that the greater the amount of SD in VRs the less trust
• a ‘gate’ is any obstacle to the formation of a relationship. FtF relationships are said to be gated because many features can interfere with the early development of a relationship. An advantage of VRs is that there’s an absence of gating
• In a VR, gates like social anxiety or physical appearance aren’t initially evident. Due to the absence of obstacles, a VR can develop to a point where SD becomes more frequent and deeper
• Once relationships have developed to this deeper, more intimate level, future revelations about physical attractiveness will be less damaging to the relationship than they would’ve been in the real world
• McKenna et al (2002) aimed to find out whether couples who first met online would like each other more than couples who first met FtF. Sample of 31 male and 31 female university students, who were paired randomly and asked to get to know one another in two 20 minute interactions. the researchers found that liking was strongest in the experimental condition where ps met online first, showing the absence of gating is important in VRs
• McKenna and Bargh (2000) looked at virtual communication methods used by lonely and socially anxious people. They found that such people were able to express their true selves more online than in FtF. Of the romantic relationships that initially formed online 70% survived more than two years. This indicates that the absence of hating does have an impact on the formation of relationships in a virtual setting