Online Relationships Research Articles

Internet Use Disorders: Subjective Importance of Online Friends in the Context of Real-Life Social Support and Comorbid Mental Disorders

Introduction: Previous studies analyzing friendships with people only known through the Internet mainly focused on quantitative aspects (e.g., the number of online friends or the time spent with them). Little is known about the perceived quality of online compared to real-life friends in individuals with an Internet use disorder (IUD). This study aimed to analyze associations of the increased subjective importance of online friends and IUD by controlling for the perceived real-life social support and comorbid mental disorders. Methods: Based on a general population sample, 192 participants who were screened positive for risky Internet use took part in face-to-face clinical diagnostic interviews. IUD was assessed using the structure of the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI) and the adapted criteria of Internet gaming disorder in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The number and the increased subjective importance of online compared to real-life friends were assessed with the Online and Real-Life Friends scale (ORLF), real-life social support was assessed with the Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS), and comorbidity was assessed with the M-CIDI. Data were analyzed with binary regression models. Results: Of 192 participants with risky Internet use, 39 participants (19 men; age M = 29.9, SD = 12.2) fulfilled the criteria of IUD in the last 12 months. IUD was not associated with the number or perceived social support of online friends per se. In multivariate analyses, IUD was associated with increased subjective importance of online friends, independently from comorbid anxiety or mood disorders. However, when controlling for real-life social support, associations of IUD and increased subjective importance of online friends were no longer present. Conclusion: These findings highlight the necessity of therapeutic interventions aimed at strengthening social skills and engaging in real-life relationships in the prevention and therapy of IUD. Due to the small sample size and the cross-sectional analysis, however, further research is needed.

Effects of online relationship programs for low-income couples during the perinatal period

Low-income couples experience increased stress and declines in relationship quality during the perinatal period. They also encounter many barriers to accessing relationship services. Using a subsample of low-income perinatal couples (n = 180) from two randomized controlled trials, the current study examined the impact of online relationship interventions, OurRelationship (OR) and ePREP, in a Bayesian framework. From pre to post, relative to waitlist control couples, couples in OR and ePREP experienced improvements in relationship quality (Mean d = 0.51) and psychological distress (Mean d = 0.28); OR couples, relative to waitlist control couples, also experienced improvements in perceived stress (Mean d = 0.33). These improvements were maintained through four-month follow-up and did not differ across gender. These findings suggest brief online relationship interventions may be an important resource for low-income perinatal couples.

Social Isolation and Online Relationship-Risk Encounters among Adolescents with Special Educational Needs

While all vulnerable adolescents are more at risk online than their non-vulnerable peers, those with special educational needs (SEN) require targeted and specialised support. Although they are not a homogenous group, SEN adolescents commonly experience social isolation and a lack of connection or meaningful relationships with peers in their offline lives. Many perceive the internet as a route to alternative means of communicating and interacting with others. Accessibility tools enable autonomous access to the online world, which offers support groups, new friends, entertainment, and connections. This can lead to both potential online relationship-risk encounters and positive experiences. With the attraction of online environments comes the need for digital skills and awarness of possible online risks, yet for adolescents with SEN, their difficulties dictate a need for more than rules, controls, and digital skills. In this study, 4894 adolescents aged 13 to 17, of whom 1207 had SEN, completed the Cybersurvey 2019, an online questionnaire about their digital life. Adolescents were asked about the benefits of using the internet, their online safety support, offline social support, and any online relationship-risk encounters. All participants were recruited through their schools. Descriptive statistics and multiple analysis of variance tests showed that, compared with their peers, adolescents with SEN experienced significantly more social isolation and less parental online safety support. They were also more likely to use the internet for positive purposes, such as socialising and coping. Overall, adolescents with SEN encountered more online relationship risks than their non-SEN peers, with older teens more likely to encounter such risks than younger peers, regardless of their SEN status. Multiple analysis of variance tests also identified that boys perceive internet use as positive to a greater extent than girls, suggesting a gender difference in experiences of the digital environment. A multiple linear hierarchical regression revealed that SEN status, age, social isolation, poor parental online safety support, and greater perceived positive internet use, all significantly predicted online relationship-risk encounters. This article discusses important implications and recommendations for policy and practice related to SEN and online safety and highlights areas for future research to consider.

Emotional Constituent of Rhetorical Questions (Based on the Lyrics of English Songs)

The article deals with rhetorical questions whose importance is evaluated, while interpreting the speaker’s psychological and emotional state. The author of the article offers theories about this grammatical unit, provided by foreign linguists. The theoretical aspects are supported with the examples from English songs of two long-plays A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (2018) and Notes On A Conditional Form (2020), performed by the band The 1975. While writing lyrics, the author of the songs uses this or that type of rhetorical questions: the ones connected to the communicative function of preference (preference structure) or to the one of favour; either positive or negative rhetorical questions; or the questions starting with why question-word (wh-question). It is the diversity of emotions he wants to present to the audience that determines the author’s choice. Rhetorical questions help to realize the correlation of the author’s choice of a definite rhetorical question to the emotions of this very author.

More friends on SNS, more materialism? The moderating roles of self-esteem and social comparison orientation.

On social networking sites, users are continuously exposed to a variety of posts from the networked individuals. Such information may often influence recipients' perceptions of what is important and goal pursuits such as materialism. Even though several studies have examined the negative consequences of using social networking sites, less attention has been paid to the role of friends' number and its impact on people's life goal pursuits. This study aimed to investigate the dark side of online friends and explored why and when more friends in social networking sites would promote materialism. Based on a sample of 264 WeChat users, study 1 discovered that friends' number positively impacted materialism through extrinsic goal (i.e., wealth and status). Additionally, such association was moderated by social comparison orientation and self-esteem. Importantly, self-esteem buffers the detrimental effect of friends' number on materialism while social comparison orientation increases it. Study 2 further tested the causal relationship and showed that friends' number on SNS might become a signal to indicate materialism via an experiment. In conclusion, our findings add to the understanding of psychological processes regarding the dark side of online friends' number and render suggestions for developing positive personal value.

Effect of the Online Friendship Network on Internet Game Frequency and Time Among University Students in the Republic of Korea

Objective: In this study, we analyzed the effects of online friendship networks on Internet game frequency and time among university students.Methods: Our participants were 34 university students. Online friendship networks were analyzed by social network analysis and degree, closeness, and betweenness centrality. Internet game frequency showed the average frequency of playing Internet games during a week and Internet game time indicated the average time during the day. Results: The Out-degree centrality of online friendship networks, and Out-closeness centrality and Internet game time showed positive (+) correlations. In addition, analysis of causal relationships showed that only Out-degree centrality had a positive (+) effect on Internet game time. Conclusion: To prevent immersion in games and their negative effects, we recommend persons form relationship networks with other friends who have positive goals such as hobbies, leisure activities, and learning.

Tweet Trajectory and AMPS-based Contextual Cues can Help Users Identify Misinformation

Well-intentioned users sometimes enable the spread of misinformation due to limited context about where the information originated and/or why it is spreading. Building upon recommendations based on prior research about tackling misinformation, we explore the potential to support media literacy through platform design. We develop and design an intervention consisting of a tweet trajectory-to illustrate how information reached a user-and contextual cues-to make credibility judgments about accounts that amplify, manufacture, produce, or situate in the vicinity of problematic content (AMPS). Using a research through design approach, we demonstrate how the proposed intervention can help discern credible actors, challenge blind faith amongst online friends, evaluate the cost of associating with online actors, and expose hidden agendas. Such facilitation of credibility assessment can encourage more responsible sharing of content. Through our findings, we argue for using trajectory-based designs to support informed information sharing, advocate for feature updates that nudge users with reflective cues, and promote platform-driven media literacy.

Pattern of Facebook use by university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: relations with loneliness and resilience

Considering young adults’ extensive use of social media since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the present study examined the pattern of Facebook use by university students during the period of hygienic crisis. Specifically, it was investigated students’ Facebook intensity use and self-disclosure to unknown online friends, as well as the role of sense of resilience and loneliness in the manifestation of the above Facebook behaviors. Overall, 792 undergraduate and postgraduate university students (48% women) completed online self-report questionnaires regarding the above variables. Undergraduate students, regardless of gender and Department of studies, made more intense Facebook use and self-disclosure to unknown online friends. Sense of loneliness positively predicted students’ online self-disclosure not only directly but also indirectly through their Facebook intensity use. Students’ resilience negatively moderated the relationship between sense of loneliness and Facebook behaviors. The findings propose a new explanatory model of emotional and behavioral mechanisms, which leads to a less safe pattern of Facebook use. This pattern possibly reflects youth’s collective tendency to use this social media platform recklessly as a way out of crisis periods, such as the pandemic period. The emergence of this pattern could be useful for launching or enriching university counselling/prevention actions aimed at strengthening students’ psycho-emotional skills, and subsequently their prudent use of social media.

Exploring Online-to-Offline Friendships: A Netnographic Study of Interpersonal Communication, Trust, and Privacy in Online Social Networks

Online friendship has become common between generations, especially among Gen Z and Millennials, and some friendships transition from online to offline, which requires disclosing their offline identities. Despite the risks involved, Online Social Networks (OSNs) are essential daily and provide self-expression, social pleasure, and networking opportunities. Privacy is a complex concept with different definitions, and interpersonal communication can be private but can become public depending on the context. Self-disclosure and trust are essential factors in online friendships. This study used netnography to study online consumer-based communities, particularly volleyball fans. We conducted observations, literature reviews, and interviews with informants who had experienced shifting from online friendships to offline ones. We analyzed the data descriptively using the theories of trust and self-disclosure. Participants connect with others who share the same interest in volleyball. They both use pseudonyms to protect their privacy but occasionally post pictures with censorship on their faces due to anxiety over privacy and online crime. They both establish trust with their online friends by analyzing their reputation, performance, mutual friends, interaction, and persona before extending their friendship from online to offline. The study found eight communication patterns that create trust, such as talking about common interests and exchanging personal information, and suggests opportunities for further research on comparing different age and gender groups and exploring communication patterns in other social media platforms.

Вовлеченность россиян в использование информационно-коммуникационных технологий и межкультурные установки: роль моно- и межэтнических дружеских онлайн-контактов

The involvement of Russians in information and communication technologies using (IICTU) affects not only business relations and the search for information, but also friendly contacts in the online space. In this regard, it is important to understand the role of IICTU and on-line intra- and inter-ethnic friendships in the intercultural attitudes of residents of the multicultural Russian society. We conducted a socio-psychological survey in 2019–2020, the sample included 337 residents of eight regions of Russia. Using structural equation modeling and mediation analysis, we found that IICTU of Russians predicted the intensity of online intra- and inter-ethnic friendships. On-line inter-ethnic friendly contacts had a direct positive effect on the attitudes supporting multicultural ideology and social equality and a negative direct effect on the intolerance of Russians. The more intensively Russians communicate with inter-ethnic friends in the virtual space, the more significant their readiness to accept cultural diversity, social equality and tolerance. This result allows us to speak of a universal role of intercultural on-line friendships for positive intercultural attitudes. Additionally, such contacts mediated the relationship of IICTU with intercultural attitudes. Friendly intra-ethnic contacts in the network were positively associated with attitudes supporting both multicultural ideology and intolerance. We can say that the creation of networks that include representatives of only one ethnic group and intensive communication of its members can potentially contribute to the intolerance of Russians. In general, the results of the study showed the importance of developing virtual space for intercultural communication.

The impact of digital technology use on youth sense of community: a case study from Croatia

The question of how digital technologies, especially the use of the Internet, affect young people's lives is one of the central research topics in contemporary sociology. On the one hand, the positive effects of digital technologies, enabling the emergence of online communities, are highlighted. On the other hand, there are also many negative effects, especially the fear of alienation. Based on the results of research conducted with 552 third and fourth grade high school students in Vukovar-Syrmia County (Croatia), this paper examines how social networking, frequency of digital technologies use, and technologically-mediated socializing influence attitudes towards the local community. It has been shown that the frequency of using digital technology does not have a negative effect on the sense of community, on the contrary – the use of mobile phones is positively correlated to support and emotional connection with peers. However, the tendency to use technology for socializing has a significant effect on two of the three measured dimensions of sense of community, in the way that young people who prefer to establish and maintain online relationships are less close to the local community. The findings support previous studies indicating multiple and varied effects of digital technologies, particularly the Internet use, on local social relationships. It has also been shown that the use of digital technologies had a much stronger effect on the assessment of attitudes towards peers in the community than in other studied dimensions of sense of community – support and emotional connection in the community and satisfaction of needs and opportunities for involvement.

Help-Seeking and Barriers to Service Use amongst Men with Past-Year Suicidal Ideation and not in Contact with Mental Health Services

Objective Men are less likely than women to engage with formal mental health services for suicidality. We describe the sources of support, barriers to service use, and coping strategies of men with past-year suicidal ideation who are not receiving formal mental health services. Method Australian men experiencing past-year suicidal ideation who also did not receive formal mental health services within the past year (n = 176) completed a survey that assessed help-seeking behaviors, coping strategies and styles, use of general services, barriers to service use, and individual-level characteristics. Analyses included descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses. Results The most common type of support was self-help resources, and self-reliance was the most common barrier to formal mental health service use. Most participants had seen a GP for non-mental-health-related reasons in the past year. Men who did not seek any help for their suicidality experienced lower instrumental barriers and perceived need for support, and lower levels of certain coping styles. Limitations included a cross-sectional design and small sample size. Conclusion The current study provides insight into the help-seeking experiences of men with past-year suicidality and not receiving formal mental health services. The findings suggest it may be helpful to improve the linkage between online and informal sources of support and evidence-based interventions. HIGHLIGHTS Online self-help, friends, and partners were the most commonly used sources of help. A subset of men (42%) with lower perceived need for help did not seek any support. Despite no past-year formal mental health service use, 80% of the men had seen a GP.

Sending, receiving, and nonconsensually sharing nude or near-nude images by youth.

There is growing evidence about the prevalence of sending, receiving, or resharing nude images by youth (sexting). Less is known about the demographic, technology use, and social context correlates of sexting. Using logistic regression, we looked at predictors of sexting behaviors in minors. Participants were a market panel sample of 394 youths aged 9-12 and 602 youths aged 13-17 (Mage = 13.5, SD = 2.50, 60.3% females) recruited for an anonymous online survey in the United States. The survey comprised questions about demographic characteristics, sexting behaviors, technology use, attitudes, and perceived norms. The four outcomes were sending nude or near-nude images or videos (images), receiving images sent without the depicted person's knowledge, nonconsensually resharing images, or having one's own images nonconsensually reshared. Regression analyses showed gender, gender/sexual minority status, use of dating apps and particular online platforms, self-sharing and resharing attitudes, and friend norms predicted sending images. Age, resharing attitudes, and friend norms all predicted receiving nude images of other youths. Household income, geographic location, some online platforms, resharing attitudes, and friend norms all predicted nonconsensual resharing of nudes. Age, use of encrypted apps, and friend norms predicted having one's own image nonconsensually reshared. We partially replicated prior research by finding associations between age and gender. Further, we identified technology use factors including the use of dating apps and particular platforms. Attitudes about sexting and perceived friend norms were robust across sexting behaviors, suggesting these factors are potentially important for intervention.

Adolescents’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Do loneliness, family, and online friends matter?

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every element of adolescent life worldwide, including Indonesia. This study intended to examine how adolescents' loneliness and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic are affected by their family relationships and online friendships. This study collects data using an online questionnaire. The Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, the UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3, the Brief Family Relationship Scale, and the Online Friendship Scale were used to collect the data. Two hundred ninety-two students aged 12-18 participated in data gathering in Jakarta, Indonesia, between March and April 2021. Descriptive, correlation and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analyses were conducted using SPSS 25.0 and LISREL 8.80. This research revealed that family relationships and online friendships had a negative effect on loneliness. Family relationships favorably impact adolescent mental health, but loneliness negatively impacts it. Furthermore, family relationships and online friendships indirectly affect adolescents' mental health through loneliness. These findings may implement in developing interventions to assist adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.

Digging deeper into responsibility: an investigation of responses to online help-request marketing campaigns in social networking groups

PurposeThere is a growing trend among online merchants to conduct help-request marketing campaigns (HMCs), which refers to a kind of marketing campaign that leverages participants' help-request to encourage the subsequent engagement of participants' online friends. The paper aims to investigate how individuals respond to online HMCs in social networking groups (SNGs). Integrating the norm activation model and regulatory focus theory, this paper examines the mediation effects of the two facets of responsibility perception, i.e. perceived causality and perceived answerability.Design/methodology/approachA field experiment was conducted by organizing a real HMC on WeChat. To manipulate request individuation, experimental confederates were engaged to serve as requesters in the HMC. The actual responses provided by the recipients (subjects) were captured via the HMC pages. The multiple-group analysis was used for data analysis.FindingsEmpirical results reveal that request individuation strengthens the effect of relationship closeness on perceived causality but reverses the effect of relationship closeness on perceived answerability from being positive to negative. Except for the negligible impact of perceived answerability on inaction, both perceived causality and perceived answerability affect recipients' reactions to HMCs as expected.Practical implicationsFirst, social media platforms should promote other-oriented prosocial values when designing features or launching campaigns. Second, the designers of HMCs should introduce a “tagging” feature in HMCs and provide additional bonuses for requesters who perform tagging. Third, HMC requesters should prudently select tagging targets when making a request.Originality/valueFirst, this paper contributes to the literature on social media engagement by identifying responsibility as an other-oriented motivation for individuals' social media engagement. Second, this paper also extends our understanding of responsibility by dividing it into perceived causality and answerability as well as measuring them with self-developed instruments. Third, this study contributes to the research on WOM by demonstrating that individuals' response behaviors toward help-requests embedded in HMCs can take the form of proactive helping, reactive helping or inaction.

Internet Use and Better-Informed Divorce in China

China has witnessed a rapid expansion in Internet penetration in recent years, with profound impacts on people's family life and marital relationships. This paper aims to examine the causal effects and functionary of information access through Internet on marital stability. This paper identifies a robust association between Internet use and increasing divorce rates in China by using nationally representative, individual-level survey data and province-level aggregate data. Various regression techniques and specifications demonstrated the statistical and economic significance of the association. Given the ever-expanding role of the Internet and the serious consequences of divorce on families and society, it is imperative that we study the underlying mechanisms as the first step toward socially responsible policymaking. Our analysis revealed a significant mediating effect of the self-reported importance of Internet information acquisition, the frequency of chatting with online friends, the frequency of meeting with online friends, and the intensity of Internet use. These findings are consistent with the theory that the increase in divorce decisions is due to better information access and is, therefore, rational and that policies such as a mandatory cooling-off period for divorce may lower societal welfare. We also conducted a series of heterogeneity analyses that showed, among other findings, that the Internet effect is stronger for women.

Stronger together: Coping behaviours and mental health changes of Canadian adolescents in early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent public health restrictions on the mental health of adolescents is of global concern. The purpose of this study was to examine how Canadian adolescents coped during the early pandemic and whether different coping methods were associated with changes in mental health from before the pandemic to the early lockdown response.MethodsUsing two-year linked survey data (2018–2020) from a prospective cohort of secondary school students (n = 3,577), linear regression models were used to examine whether changes in mental health (anxiety [Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale], depression [Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression 10-item scale Revised], emotion regulation [Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale], psychosocial well-being [Flourishing scale]) were related to each coping behaviour.ResultsThe most common reported coping behaviours included staying connected with friends online (78.8%), playing video games, watching TV/movies, and/or surfing the internet/social media (76.2%), studying or working on schoolwork (71.0%), and getting exercise (65.2%). The use of positive coping mechanisms during the early pandemic period (e.g., keeping a regular schedule, time with family, time with friends online) was associated with less adverse mental health changes from before to during the early lockdown; whereas, negative coping mechanisms (e.g., spending time alone, eating junk food) were consistently associated with more adverse mental health changes.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the importance of social support and connections with both friends and family, as well as keeping and maintaining a routine, over the pandemic. Interventions supporting positive relationships and engagement in these coping behaviours may be protective for adolescent mental health during disruptive events.

Does Internet Use Promote Subjective Well-Being? Evidence from the Different Age Groups Based on CGSS 2017 Data.

Mobile Internet technology has developed so rapidly that the Internet has become indispensable in everyday life. There is a continuous debate about the relationship between internet use and subjective well-being. In contrast to observing whether one has Internet access, this paper focuses on three dimensions of Internet usage: frequency of use, online relationship size, and Internet proficiency. Based on the Chinese nationwide data collected in 2017, the results of the ordinary least squares regression model demonstrate that Internet use has a significant positive association with subjective well-being. In addition, this study also discovers that the effect of Internet use on the subjective well-being of individuals of different ages is heterogeneous; middle-aged individuals benefit from more frequent Internet use and larger-scale networks; the young and older adults benefit from organizing communication in groups. The results of this study can provide targeted suggestions for improving the subjective well-being of different age groups in Internet use.

A Framework for Relationships in eCommerce Websites

Consumers are increasingly shifting their purchase patterns from in-store to online. Consequently, retailers have had to go online to remain competitive. Research pundits argued the success of going online lies in the website's ability to create and maintain relationships with customers. This research aimed at investigating the relationship development process from the perspective of merchants to point out independent variables that influence such relation. The study is picking on the dyadic nature of the interaction in building relationship among people and apply it to the online relationships. In particular, the role of self-disclosure and privacy for enhancing this relationship was investigated. A deductive thematic approach was used based on a predefined themes informed by the literature guided the information collection through a semi-structured interview with eCommerce website owners. The study offers useful insights in establishing the pathway to creating and maintaining a loyal customer through a framework with propositions that are useful for eCommerce website managers.

HUBUNGAN ONLINE FRIENDSHIP QUALITY DENGAN KECEMASAN AKAN MENGHADAPI TUGAS AKHIR STUDI PADA MAHASISWA SEMESTER AKHIR DALAM PANDEMI COVID - 19

Having friends can reduce the negative effects of stressful experiences such as facing your thesis.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is uncertain whether friendship quality possessed by studentshas a relationship or not with the anxiety experienced by students. According to Foulkes andBlakemore (2021), even for the strongest friendships, socialization via the internet is not the sameas face-to-face interaction. So, the mental health benefits you get are not the same as interactingdirectly. Therefore, this study aimed to see the relationship between online friendship quality andanxiety about the final thesis in final semester students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thequantitative method used in this research with a correlational research design. One hundred andtwenty-two participants were selected using convenience sampling. Questionnaires wereimplemented as the data collection technique. The data was analyzed using the Pearson Product Moment correlation test. The findings showed that online friendship quality does not have asignificant relationship with anxiety about facing the final thesis in final semester students. Itindicated that the level of one's online friendship quality does not correlate with the level ofanxiety. However, additional test results showed that on the friendship quality variable, thedimensions of conflict and betrayal negatively correlated with all dimensions of the anxiety.