eval

• Although virtual relationships are intrinsically different to face-to-face relationships, they may still share the similarity of featuring nonverbal signals,suggested by Walther and Tidwell (1995). This includes the use of emojis, acronyms (e.g. LOL and OMG) and nonverbal cues which are specific to online communications.eg. length, timing and tone of messages. especially considering that an increasing number of successful modern relationships begin online.
• can benefit introverted people which would not be possible irl due to cues
• The theories of self-disclosure and absence of gating in virtual relationships may lack ecological validity because they may not be able to explain all the course of modern-age relationships, which is often a mixture of virtual and face-to-face elements, as suggested by Walther (2011). Individuals often feel the pressure to portray themselves in the same way as they have online as in real-life, and so this interaction may offset the effects of fewer gates and self-disclosure in virtual relationships.
• evidence supporting some of the core principles/assumptions of the hyperpersonal model, as suggested by Whitty and Johnson (2009). Online communications, due to the apparent lack of nonverbal cues, often feature ‘direct’ questions, as opposed to the small-talk which features in face-to-face relationships. suggests that we are more likely to self-disclose in VR because we can be selective as to what information we reveal about ourselves, and so use self-disclosure to further improve the way that a potential partner views us.
• Maltby et al (2006) used the Celebrity Attitude Scale (developed by McCutcheon et al, 2002) to establish three different stages of parasocial relationships, each increasing with emotional intensity and commitment towards the celebrity.
• The three stages are entertainment-social, intensepersonal and borderline pathological. The first stage suggests that celebrity news is used as a source of gossip (Giles, 2002) and so can strengthen real-life relationships with friends due to having more common interests.
• The second stage is characterised by obsessive thoughts about the celebrity and an advanced emotional connection with them, whilst the third stage is associated with more pathological behaviours such as stalking and/or resentment against anyone who may prevent the individual from carrying out these behaviours.
• • In line with Bowlby’s theories of maternal deprivation and monotropic attachment, an individual with an insecure-resistant attachment type is more likely to be involved in a parasocial relationship (due to lowering the risk of rejection and pain, alongside unfulfillment associated with real-life relationships), as well as those with an insecure-avoidant attachment type (but with an emphasis on avoiding the feelings above, rather than being exposed to them in the first instance)