absence of gating

• gates/obstacles don't exist online -> more self disclosure -> relationships more likely to form
• We reveal more online due to the absence of barriers, so this aids relationship formation. ​FtF relationships have many potential ‘gates’ like physical unattractiveness, a stammer, shyness etc.​ Absence of gating works by refocusing attention on self-disclosure…​and away from superficial and distracting features​.Online people are more interested in what someone is telling them than what they look/sound like….​This means in CMC relationships self-disclosure is deeper and more frequent ​So relationships can form quickly ​
• support for absence of gating

  McKenna and Bargh looked at CMC use by lonely and socially anxious people​ found shy people were able to express their ‘true selves’ more than in FtF situations ​(So they used more self-disclosure online)​Of the romantic relationships that formed online 70% survived more than two years ​which is a higher proportion than relationships in the real world​.This supports the idea that the absence of gating increases self disclosure.
• positive implication 


  If absence of gating does help individuals to form online relationships this can also have positive consequences for offline relationships. ​It has been claimed that the absence of gating, and the resulting more meaningful self-disclosure online….​has positive effects on offline relationships Individual’s can create an online identity that is appreciated by others… ​This then enhances their overall self-image and gives them the confidence to self-disclose in person too .self disclosure in online relationships increases the quality of face-to-face relationships as well