absence of gating

• gates and obstacles dont exist online--> more self disclosure--> relationships more likely to form
• gate?


  feature/obstacle that could interfere with the development of a FTF relationship from developing such as appearance
• • in FTF relationships there are often gates to relationship formation
  • these gates dont exist in the virtual world leading to more SD
• • argued the absence of gating is a huge advantage compared to CMCrelationshps
  • refocusses attention on self-disclosure rather than gates/ superficial& distracting features
  • online people are more interested in what the person is saying rather than appearance so in CMC relationships SD is deeper and more frequent
  • therefore relationships can form quickly
• A03 support?


  • Kenna and bargh looked at CMC use by socially lonely and anxious people
  • found shy people were able to express their true selves more in CMC than FTF
  • of romantic relationships that formed over CMC 70% survived over two years which is higher than the proportion in the real world
  • therefore supports the idea that absence of gating leads to more SD
• a03 positive?


  • positive implications
  • if absence of gating helps individuals form online relationships then this can also have positive effects in their offline relationships
  • it has been claimed that absence of gating within CMC relationships has had positive effects offline
  • by creating an online identity that is appreciated by others, this overall enhances their self-image and gives them confidence to SD in person too
  • therefore SD in online relationships increases the quality of FTF relationships too
• general a03?


  • criticism: address CMC as a single construct
  • many argue the effect of SD will depend on the type of CMC, on apps like facebook people typically have offline relationships that could also be on their social media, therefore people will disclose more
  • however on internet dating sites self disclosure is decreased as both parties anticipate meeting
  • this expectation doesn't exist on gaming sites where behaviour is less inhibited so people will self disclose more
  • researchers therefore argue any theory that sees CMC as a single construct cannot be a completely valid explanation
• general a03?


  • hasn't considered the difference in CMC between males and females
  • evolutionary theory would state women would want to make themselves appear youthful and attractive to attract a mate whereas a man would want to appear like he has resources
  • this suggests a beta gender bias in this are of research as neither theory suggests there are gender differences in how CMC is used
  • therefore this theory may not be valid/accurate