COMPUTER MEDIATED COMMUNICATION & ROMANTIC TIES

Computer-mediated Communication & Romantic Relationships

The impact of computer mediated communication in romantic relationships

Introduction

In today's technically advanced environment communication is taking on more forms than it ever has in the past. The dynamics of communicating is changing, and we are constantly learning and adjusting to these changes. It is also becoming increasingly more important to be aware of the way we interact with others, both in person and electronically. The following paper discusses the many forms of communication, and looks closely at mediated communication.

Literature Review

Online romances may begin on the Internet, and the majority of interaction may still occur online, but partners also interact through telephone calls, letters, picture exchanges, flowers and presents, and faceto- face meetings. Romantic relational partners who initially began their relationships primarily in the face-to-face context may also use multiple technological channels (Wildermuth, 2007) .

According to Wildermuth (2007) in the online context, romantic participants are often forced to rely extensively (if not exclusively) on textual messages. Alternative sources of information about a partner are not always readily available. Wildermuth (2007) says that according to the social cognition principles, it is easier for individuals to create and to sustain idealized positive biases toward their online romantic partners. Wildermuth (2007) further says that online romantic relationship participants are not the only people aware of the inherent dangers of online interaction. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the insertion of secondary media into romantic relationships is not limited to online romances (Wildermuth, 2007) .

Mesch (2000) says that friendship is distinguished from other types of social relationships because contact with friends is more intense. Intensity is usually a feature that reflects the history of the relationship and refers to its duration. A central characteristic of friendships is the development of a history of shared experiences that define a feeling of belonging and shared identity. In addition, the development of central characteristics of friendship such as trust and reciprocity are at least partially temporal process (Mesch, 2000). Mesch (2000) elaborates that independently of time, close relationships tend to be holistic, not restricted to particular activities and topics. Online relationships at this point appear to be restricted to nonpersonal topics and not everyday activities, and in that sense they are perceived as less integrated in the daily life of the individuals and as more distant (Mesch, 2000).

Most Internet users do not meet new people online. However, many Internet users in Britain have met new people and made friends online. Gennaro (2004) identified that relationships that develop online rarely stay only within the newsgroup setting. They found that a significant proportion of newsgroup users broadened their relationship by using other channels of communication: 98 per cent with e-mail, 35 per cent with the telephone, 28 per cent by post and 33 per cent used face to face communication. However, they did not explore the sociodemographic or personality factors which led online relationships to migrate to offline settings.

According to Walker (2001) “Communication has been described as the process of conveying feelings, attitudes, ...