Self-Disclosure in Virtual Relationships

Types of Virtual Relationships

Virtual relationships can be different for everyone. Virtual relationships can be defined as a relationship carried out entirely online, communicating digitally through online messaging or video services.

Virtual relationships can be platonic, communicating with family over long distances, or romantic, such as talking with a long-distance partner.

Self-Disclosure in Virtual Relationships: Psychology

Self-disclosure can be defined as sharing information about yourself. Many psychologists state that virtual relationships encourage greater and deeper sharing. Although influenced by many factors, the main reasons for this phenomenon in virtual relationships, according to some theories in psychology, are anonymity and a lack of commitment virtual relationships offer.

The anonymity of online relationships and the ability to leave the conversation at any time, alongside a lack of accountability, are characteristics of self-disclosure that means people feel more comfortable sharing information.

Characteristics of Self-Disclosure

Self-disclosure can include sharing information with another person verbally or non-verbally. Both of these things can tell you a lot about a person. Therefore, they are self-disclosing information about themselves.

Parasocial Relationship Levels

Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships that occur when someone shows interest in another person who does not know who they are.

Psychologists Giles and Maltby (2006) suggested three levels to a parasocial relationship, each with increasing intensity to the emotional value of the one-sided relationship for that person involved:

1. Entertainment-social.
2. Intense-personal.
3. Borderline-pathological.

Naturally, parasocial relationships typically occur in virtual relationships when we consider the nature of how they develop. Typically, a person follows a celebrity over social media and becomes increasingly ingrained in the fan culture surrounding their favourite celebrities in some cases.

Relationship Psychology Theories

Various psychological theories explore the nature of relationships and how they develop. Relationships are intrinsic to human society and, thus, are important to us. A few key theories shed light on self-disclosure in virtual relationships:

1. The Reduced Cues Theory.
2. The Hyperpersonal Model.

They explore whether we share more, or less, in virtual relationships.

Self-Disclosure in Virtual Relationships: Reduced Cues Theory

Sproull and Kessler (1986) suggested that we share less online due to a reduced amount of non-verbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.

According to Sproull and Kessler, this leads to deindividuation, where reduced cues and anonymity make people lower their standards of behaviour and have a reduced sense of individuality. Sharing less online leads to impersonal conversation and a reluctance to self-disclose.

However, some researchers suggest that instead of reduced cues, online relationships have different cues, such as emojis, time taken to reply, and tone of reply.

Fig. 2 - Various theories explore whether we disclose more or less in virtual relationships.

Self-Disclosure in Virtual Relationships: The Hyperpersonal Model

Walher (1996, 2011) suggested the opposite of the reduced cues theory, saying self-disclosure increased in online relationships. According to Walher, self-disclosure occurs quickly online due to anonymity, a lack of accountability, the ability to craft answers and your image, and the fact that you can leave at any point.

Cooper and Sportolari (1997) suggested that in online relationships, increased self-disclosure, in both breadth and depth, leads to the ‘boom and bust’ phenomenon. This phenomenon describes what happens when potential partners self-disclose too fast without the proper grounding of trust needed to maintain the relationship. Therefore, their relationship busts and breaks down.

Evaluation of Self-Disclosure in Virtual Relationships

Bargh et al. (2002) conducted three experiments which found those who expressed their ‘true selves' on the internet were more likely to form close relationships online.

They found that whilst the concept of the ‘true self’ was more recognisable to undergraduates online; they were able to express this ‘true self’ better than in face-to-face interactions.

As previously discussed, the suggestion that there are reduced or no cues in online relationships is not entirely true. Today, cues can be expressed by emojis, voice notes (tone of voice), punctuation and the amount of time it takes to reply, amongst other things.

Whitty and Johnson (2009) studied online communication and found that users are often direct, asking intimate and probing questions. This supports the hyperpersonal model, suggesting that self-disclosure happens faster in online relationships.

Relationships are rarely all online. It is flawed to assume that a relationship will only be online. Today, often people talk online in anticipation of an in-person date. Thus, theories of online communication are flawed as in-person interactions could influence online self-disclosure.

McKenna and Bargh (2000) found that relationships formed online were 70% likely to last more than two years. This percentage is higher than so-called ‘offline’ relationships, supporting the idea that greater self-disclosure and the absence of gates in online relationships can build stronger bonds.