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virtual relationships in social media - Coggle Diagram
virtual relationships in social media
self disclosure in virtual relationships
the hyperpersonal model
self disclosure in virtual relationships happen earlier than in face-to-face ones so relationships quickly become more intense and feel more intimate and meaningful
suggests virtual relationships may feel more intimate because it is easier to manipulate self disclosure online
selective self presentation
people in online convo have more time to 'edit' their responses to prevent themselves in a more positive light
more likely to disclose personal information about themselves as the anonymity means they feel less accountable which leads to feelings of closeness and intimacy
evaluation
strength- research support, ptpts paired and asked to discuss an abstract dilemma either face to face to online. found ptpts in online condition showed significantly more self disclosure than face to face condition- increases validity of hyper personal model
limitation- self disclosure in virtual relationships may decrease due to reduced cues theory. online relationships might be less open and honest than face-to-face ones, because in real life we rely on subtle cues, such as facial expressions and tone of voice and these cues are absent in virtual communications. This reduction in communication cues leads to de-individuation because it diminishes people's feelings of individual identity. reduces validity of explanation
the absence of gating
in face to face relationships there are many gates that can affect the early development of a relationship such as physical attractiveness and social anxiety
due to anonymity of internet these gates are absent and therefore less likely to stop potential relationships starting
means a persons true self is more likely to be active online than in face to face interactions which enables people to form close relationships over the internet
found social media like Facebook can empower ‘gated’ individuals to present the identities they hope to establish but are unable to face-to-face. The reduction of gating obstacles in the online environment enables people to ‘stretch the truth a bit’ in their efforts to project a self that is more socially desirable than their real ‘offline’ identity
evaluation
strength- research support found that people who scored highly on shyness and internet use, perceived quality of friendships as high; this correlation was absent for people with low shyness scores. implies that the absence of gates helps people to overcome their shyness, so the quality of their face-to-face communication also improves
limitation- most research conducted is outdated and as technology changing rapidly so is nature of virtual relationships. Most dating apps focus on appearance which means many of the gates that were once removed in virtual relationships are once again present and effect the likelihood of a virtual relationship starting. Similarly, features such as video calls mean that cues such as facial expressions and tone of voice are present and have an impact on virtual relationships. lowers temporal validity of explanation
evaluation
internet not available in some countries so conclusions made cannot apply to them. lowers validity of research
does not consider relationships which are conducted both online and offline suggesting current theories underestimate the complexity of virtual relationships which reduces the validity of these theories