In the past two decades, the way we communicate has drastically changed. Interpersonal exchanges that were face to face, have been replaced with a variety of computer generated options. Interpersonal communication in this century is mobile, instant, and global. Technological forums like email, texting, and social networks have become the norm. I will argue that computer mediated communication (CMC), has an effect on the relationships individuals build with each other; by not following the basic steps of the Social Penetration Theory. My argument is that computer mediated self-disclosure through a social network skips steps that would occur in face to face communication, as CMC allows for safe disclosure behind a computer screen.
Unlike a face to face exchange, CMC is absent of non-verbal gestures and auditory cues that help set the tone of the conversation. A relationship built on uploaded disclosures, do not follow the same course as one formed in person. When communication leaves the virtual world and goes face to face, will the relationship progress by maintaining a level of self-disclosure? Through the lens of the social penetration theory, and research on …show more content…
Three research articles on this topic are summarized. The first study looked at global online communities used by professionals in France and the United Kingdom. The purpose of the study was to predict the driving forces by which “personal and/or private information to others” was disclosed. (Posey, Lowry, Roberts & Ellis, 2010, p. 182) The two research questions used were about environmental and cultural factors that predicted self-discloser in online communities. Both factors were also researched by Altman and Damas for their social penetration