After reading : The Ups and Downs of Love (Myers & Twenge, 2018, pgs. 297 – 312), Does the Internet Create Intimacy or Isolation?
- Is computer-mediated communication within virtual communities a poor substitute for in-person relationships? Or is it a wonderful way to widen our social circles? (Please explain using social psychological concepts).
- Does the Internet do more to connect people or to drain time from face-to-face relationships (Please explain using social psychological concepts and don’t confuse “face-to-face relationships” with Face Time).
Vocabulary :
Proximity Geographical nearness. Proximity (more precisely, “func-tional distance”) powerfully pre-dicts liking.
Mere-exposure effect The tendency for novel stimuli to be liked more or rated more positively after the rater has been repeatedly exposed to them. The mere exposure effect is our tendency to favor things that seem familiar.
Matching phenomenon The tendency for men and women to choose as partners those who are a “good match” in attractiveness and other traits.
The outgroup is unfamiliar and therefore weird. Weird things are not to be trusted is Simple unfamiliarity feeds prejudice.
Need to belong (the feeling that we are liked and accepted in a group) and we tend to select partners we think would be a good fit for us, in terms of attractiveness and other traits, which we call the matching phenomenon.
