Virtual Relationships

what has increased over the last decade?

the use of social media and technology and apps like fb, insta, etc

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how do many ppl communicate everyday

through the use of their phones or tech

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why are researchers interested in this topic?

because social interactions and way ppl have rs has changed several

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why is the nature of a virtual rs same to a stranger on train phenomenon and who suggested this

Rubin suggests that ppl are more likely to share personal information to a stranger cuz they're likely to never see them again

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what did other researcher suggest about virtual rs In regards to the reduced cues theory?

sproull+kiesler said that online rs are less open and honest then a social rs as irl we rely on subtle cues ie facial expressions/tone which is absent in v rs, decreasing communication leading to de-individuation cuz it diminishes ppl feelings of-

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-individual identity and brings out behaviours ppl usually stop from displaying im face to face interactions ie agg, making online rs more agg, making other ppl self disclose less as they fear being a verbal victim

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what is another difference between social interactions and online?

there is an absence of gating, irl attraction is based on appearance, mannerisms and factors such as age, limiting potentional aprtners but in vrs these gates are abser creating more opportunities for shy or less attractive ppl to develop rs

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what happens if those factors are found later/after?
what does intimacy also help with?

when these factors are found after meeting face-to-face, partners may already be attracted and these feelings may already be developed
I brings more self disclosure, helping establish individual identities that they cant create irl ie shy person outgoing

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what is the main difference between online and face to face interactions?

self disclosure, in a vrs it occurs at a faster rate, thought to be the result of anonymity as online rs, ppl tend to hold of telling personal info irl due to fear of rejection/being ridiculed but its less risky w vrs so ppl share more experience wo risk

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what did some researchers find?

whitty+joinson found the effect of a v environment on self disclosure by using discussion forms that qs+as tended to be direct, probing and intimate online in comparison to face-to-face interactions

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who proposed the hyperpersonal model of rs and what is it?

?Walther suggested that as self disclose in vrs happens earlier then face to face interactions, rs quickly become more intense and feels more intimate/meaningful, but this also ends quickly as its difficult to sustain the vrs w same level of intense self

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what does it also suggest?

selective self presentation- that vrs feel more intimate as its easier to manipulate self disclosure online then social as ppl can edit responses to present them more positively

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what is one piece of research in examining vrs?

Rosenfeld+Thomas shared importance of online communication developing rs, investigated link between home access and being in rs, 4000 pp, 71.8% w Internet were married/in rs, compared to only 35.9% w/o internet

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what is another piece of research?

Baker+Oswald investigated absence of gating in vrs may be particularly useful for shy ppl, 207 M+F pp completed Q, scoring answers in terms of shyness, those who scored highly on shyness+internet use also perceived the quality of-

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-their friendships as high, as shy ppl use online to overcome shyness, face-tp-face communication also improves for them k

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whats the main piece of research into vrs? who conducted it/

Hollenbaugh+Evertt;
A- to investigate vrs in social media
M-recruited pp(bloggers) as pp from advertisement placed online by researchers, 154 PP used asa they met criteria of study ie being 18+ -

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-content analysis conducted on 5 blogs which had been recently posted that included photos, hyperlinks, videos, etc. inter reliability established by correlating results
R- suggests younger bloggers engaged in deeper-

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-and more self disclosures online then older bloggers, plus F bloggers self disclosed more personal info to male counterparts, visual anonymity also had an inverse rs w self disclose as bloggers who posted more pictures of themselves self disclosed more i

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C- some support for notion of self disclosure in vrs ,disclose more online then offline, but it may not be due to anonymity as those who disclosed more also had less anonymity so ppl can still can edit themselves 'self selective representation'

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name the EVAL

-depends on type of computer mediated communication used, paine et al suggests degree of self disclosure depends on if website user anticipate info becoming available to wider audience or just to friends, first present edited-

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-version of themselves create a socially desirable identity then ppl disclose more personal info as they are confident in friends acceptance, contradicting gating is absence in all virtual rs as info can become public, so self disclose less at first

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face-to-face rs can slo have virtual element to them, lenhart+duggan studied Americans in long term rs +used telecoms in rs, found 25% of pp text partners home together, 21% go those surveyed said it helps them feel closer to partner, 8% long-

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-term rs said partnership suffers due to spouses use of vrs w other ppl
-studying vrs is hard as social media is affected by changing/fast paced society, most research was conducted in 1990s/early 200s but teach has-

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changed since then, lowering temporal validity of research into rs
-research mainly based off wstrn technological developed cultures, technological rs not readily avalibke in some countries which can explain how-

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-development/effects of virtual communication on rs cant be applied to them ie Nakanishi found in Japan, f preferred low levels of self disclosure in close rs as compared to us, so self disclosure depends on cultural norms

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Virtual Relationships

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