virtual relationships

Question 1

virtual relationships

Answer 1

• an online relationship
• includes variety of electronic communication methods by which relationships can be formed and maintained e.g. email, instant messaging, chat rooms, texts and social networking sites

Question 2

what are the theories of virtual relationships

Answer 2

• self-disclosure
• absence of gating

Question 3

what are the 2 subtheories of self-disclosure theory of virtual relationships

Answer 3

• reduced cues theory
• hyperpersonal model

Question 4

what do the reduced cues theory and hyperpersonal model argue oppositely

Answer 4

• reduced cues theory argues people self-disclose less online so relationship fails
• hyperpersonal model argues people self-disclose more online so relationship succeeds

Question 5

reduced cues theory in self-disclosures affecting virtual relationships

Answer 5

• self-disclosures definition
• fewer SDs online compared to face to face as there are reduced cues online (we normally depend on facial expressions, tone of voice, appearance)
• deindividuation (reduced sense of self-identity so act in ways we normally wouldnt)
• one of these ways is disinhibition (less likely to censor what we say)
• blunt and aggressive communication
• fewer self-disclosures ( starting with narrow breadth and depth of information and we dont think they will be reciprocated)
• no deeper understanding, trust or intimacy
• less likely to want to initiate relationship (wont succeed)

Question 6

cues

Answer 6

hints about what people are thinking and feeling

Question 7

hyperpersonal model of self-disclosures in virtual relationships

Answer 7

• self-disclosure definition
• more SDs online compared to FtF as we are anonymous online so less accountable
• more SDs earlier and more intense/intimate as feel less accountable (greater breadth and depth)
• this is likely to be reciprocated as the other person is also anonymous
• deeper understanding, trust, intimacy
• more likely to want to initiate a relationship (will succeed)
• selective self-presentation can also happen so receiver gets positive impression so gives feedback (reciprocates) which reinforces the selective self-presentation so more SDs made also leading to deeper trust and intimacy

Question 8

selective self-presentation

Answer 8

senders control what they disclose and the cues they send so manipulate self-disclosures to promote intimacy by presenting themselves in a positive idealised way, either by being intensely truthful (hyperhonest) or intensely false (hyperdishonest)

Question 9

absence of gating theory of virtual relationships

Answer 9

• virtual relationships have an absence of gating in that these obstacles are not present
• Therefore a relationship can develop to the point where self-disclosure becomes more frequent and deeper (i.e. the relationship ‘gets off the ground’)
• This means that self-disclosures are more likely to be reciprocated (responded to with empathy, understanding and their self-disclosures) which then means the breadth and depth of the disclosures will increase
• Absence of gating refocuses attention on self-disclosure and away from more superficial features
• This then promotes intimacy as they gain a deeper understanding of each other and trust.

Question 10

gate

Answer 10

any obstacle to the formation of a relationship e.g. stammer, stutter, physical unattractiveness etc.

Question 11

evaluation points for self-disclosure in virtual relationships

Answer 11

• weakness of reduced cues theory from non-verbal cues
• supporting evidence for hyperpersonal model from Whitty and Joinson
• weakness from multimodal relationships
• weakness of both from depending on type of social media

Question 12

weakness of reduced cues theory from non-verbal cues

Answer 12

• reduced cues theory is wrong to suggest that nonverbal cues are entirely missing from online communication
• They are just different
• Online interactions use other cues, such as style and the timing of the message e.g. taking time to reply to a status update is often interpreted as more intimate than an immediate response
• But too much time is considered a snub
• These nuances are as subtle as they are in face-to-face relationships
• Additionally, acrostics (e.g. LOL), emoticons and emojis are used as effective substitutes for facial expressions and tone of voice
• hard for reduced cues theory to explain as virtual relationships can be just as personal as FtF relationships as it is possible to express emotional states.
• Therefore, deindividuation should not occur and people should act in a disinhibited manner
• so theory may not be valid explanation of virtual relationships in social media

Question 13

supporting evidence for hyperpersonal model from Whitty and Joinson

Answer 13

• research shows questions asked online tend to be very direct, probing and intimate (hyperhonest)
• This is quite different from small talk in face-to-face conversations.
• Responses online are also direct and to the point
• helps to present us in an exaggeratedly positive light
• Selective self-presentation can also be hyperdishonest e.g. when people invent attractive personal qualities for their online dating profiles
• suggests a difference in type of self-disclosures used in virtual relationships compared to FtF ones, providing some support for validity of theory, particularly selective self-presentation.
• However, it is not necessarily that this promotes more or deeper self-disclosure compared to face-to-face relationships and so isn’t particularly strong support for the central prediction of the theory

Question 14

weakness of both from depending on type of social media

Answer 14

• extent and depth of self-disclosure online depends on type of online communication
• On social networking sites, people interacting generally have relationships in the offline world
• People self-disclose more on Facebook for instance than they would on an e-survey, where they are reluctant to disclose information they consider to be private
• Online dating often results in reduced self-disclosure because communicators anticipate future meetings FtF in the offline world
• This consideration generally doesn’t exist in chatrooms and on gaming sites
• theories assume that all interactions online are the same rather than varied in these ways so its unlikely that either theory is a completely valid explanation of virtual relationships in social media

Question 15

weakness of self-disclosure and absence of gating from multimodal relationships

Answer 15

• hyperpersonal model (from self-disclosure theory) and absence of gating both try to explain how there is more self-disclosure in virtual relationships than face-to-face ones because of features unique to online relationships (e.g. Selective self-presentation)
• Walther argued these theories fail to take into account that almost all relationships are multimodal i.e. We conduct them both online and offline rather than either/or
• What we choose to disclose in virtual relationships is influenced by our offline interactions and vice versa
• doesn’t suggest we should abandon both theories but suggests that to most comprehensively explain virtual relationships in social media, theories may need to be combined with impact of self-disclosures in FtF relationships
• would more completely explain role of self-disclosure in relationships

Question 16

evaluation points for absence of gating in relationships

Answer 16

• weakness from multimodal relationships
• real world application from Baker and Oswald
• real world application from McKenna and Bargh

Question 17

real world application of absence of gating in virtual relationships from Baker and Oswald

Answer 17

• argue virtual relationships are helpful for shy people
• Through social media sites like Facebook, shy people can overcome barriers they face when trying to form relationships in real life
• Researchers surveyed 207 male and female students about their shyness, Facebook usage and the quality of their friendships
• For students who scored high on shyness, greater use of Facebook was associated with higher perceptions of friendship quality
• those who scored low on shyness, Facebook usage not associated with the perception of friendship quality
• supports shy people benefit from online relationships, presumably because the gating that obstructs FtF relationships is absent online [you need to explain here how this then leads to self-disclosures and the relationship progressing]
• supports external validity of theory as it can support emotional wellbeing

Question 18

real world application of absence of gating from McKenna and Bargh

Answer 18

• looked at online communication use by lonely and socially anxious people
• found that such people able to express their ‘true selves’ more than in FtF situations
• Of the romantic relationships that initially formed online, 71% survived more than two years
• This is a higher proportion than for relationships formed in the offline world (49% in a study by Kirkpatrick and Davis in 1994).
• supports that socially anxious people’s relationships benefit from beginning online, presumably because the gating that obstructs FtF relationships is absent online [you need to explain here how this then leads to self-disclosures and the relationship progressing]
• supports external validity of theory as it can support emotional wellbeing