2001/10/01 by Monica T. Whitty, Jeff Gavin · 2 citations
Social Sciences · Psychology · #Digital Marketing and Social Media #Impact of Technology on Adolescents #Gender, Feminism, and Media #Redress #Honesty #Psychology #Construct (python library) #Social psychology #The Internet #Interpersonal communication #Online and offline #Interpersonal relationship #Quality (philosophy) #World Wide Web #Computer science #Political science
paper · doi:10.1089/109493101753235223
openalex publication_date 2001/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
Past research on online relationships has predominantly been concerned with how the quality of online relationships compares with offline relationships. This research has been more concerned with the medium itself than with the meanings that users construct around their interpersonal interactions within this medium. The current paper seeks to redress this imbalance by exploring the ways that available social cues are used to shape the meanings of online relationships. Sixty Internet users, ranging in age from 19-51 years, were interviewed about their online relationships. It was found that ideals that are important in traditional relationships, such as trust, honesty, and commitment are just as important in online relationships; however, the cues that signify these ideals vary.