Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Virtual Relationships in Social Media: - Coggle Diagram
Virtual Relationships in Social Media:
The Absence of Gating in Virtual Relationships:
A gate is an obstacle for the formation of a relationship - These do not occur in CMC so a relationship is more likely to 'get off the ground'
Benefits:
Attention can be refocused away from superficial features and become about knowing each other
Self-disclosure can become more frequent and the relationship can 'get off the ground' quicker
Drawbacks:
People can create an untrue identity therefore they are deceiving their potential partner
People can lead a 'second life' where they can create a virtual avatar to lead another online life
Self-Disclosure in Virtual Relationships:
A key feature in face to face relationships, recent researchers have started to investigate in social media-based relationships
There are 2 major theories that attempt to explain how self-disclosure operates in virtual relationships (also known as computer mediated communication - CMC)
Reduced Cues Theory:
Virtual relationships are less intense than face to face as they lack cues such as tone of voice
This can lead to de-individuation where people lose a sense of identity
This means that people are less likely to express their real thoughts and feelings to someone who is so impersonal
Hyper-Personal Model:
Virtual relationships can be more personal and involve greater self-disclosure, as this happens earlier than face to face
Anonymity also plays a role as people are more likely to disclose information about themselves to a stranger
Selective self-presentation occurs, where the sender manipulates their self-image. The receiver also gains a positive impression of the sender