Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b95js Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-06T10:28:30.498Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

7 - Down the Rabbit Hole: The Role of Place in the Initiation and Development of Online Relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

By
Andrea J. Baker
Edited by
Azy Barak
Andrea J. Baker
Affiliation:
Ohio University
Azy Barak
Affiliation:
University of Haifa, Israel
Get access

Summary

When Lewis Carroll's Alice falls down the hole into Wonderland, she encounters a variety of situations in various places: a garden, a forest, a pool, a kitchen, a castle, and a courtroom, among others. The characters she meets who become her acquaintances, friends, and enemies differ depending on her location in her travels, and, of course, her size. She follows the White Rabbit who is terrified of her larger-than-human height in the hallway. She learns to adjust her size to match the places, objects, animals, and people who cross her pathways. People have likened “cyberspace” to the world found through the mirror, the virtual reality on the other side contrasted to the everyday physical world.

As the experience of people online accumulated, researchers differentiated modes of relating within cyberspace such as the use of the asynchronous and the synchronous or real-time media. They have begun to illuminate differences in the types of spaces, places, or settings online (see Baker, 2002, 2005; Baker & Whitty, 2008; McKenna, 2007; Whitty & Carr, 2006). A current line of inquiry attempts to explicate interactions that originate but do not remain in cyberspace, or relationships that span online and offline places. Researchers of online relationships recognize that people online often “felt as though they have gotten to know each other quite well” (Walther & Parks, 2002, p. 549) before meeting offline (Baker, 1998), entering “mixed mode relationships” (Walther & Parks, 2002, p. 542).

Type
Chapter
Information
Psychological Aspects of Cyberspace
Theory, Research, Applications
 , pp. 163 - 184
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baker, A. (1998). Cyberspace couples finding romance online then meeting for the first time in real life. CMC Magazine. Retrieved June 15, 2007, from http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1998/jul/baker.html.Google Scholar
Baker, A. (2002). What makes an online relationship successful? Clues from couples who met in cyberspace. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 5, 363–375.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baker, A. (2005). Double click: Romance and commitment among online couples. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.Google Scholar
Baker, A., & Whitty, M. (2008). Researching romance and sexuality online: Issues for new and current researchers. In Holland, S. (Ed.), Remote relationships in a small world (pp. 34–52). New York: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Barak, A. (2007). Phantom emotions: Psychological determinants of emotional experiences on the internet, In Joinson, A., McKenna, K., Postmes, T., and Reips, U. (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of internet psychology (pp. 303–329). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bargh, J., McKenna, K. Y. A., & Fitzsimons, G. M. (2002). Can you see the real me? Activation and expression of the “true self” on the internet. Journal of Social Issues, 58, 33–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, S. (2003). Computer-mediated communication. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.Google Scholar
Ze'ev, Ben A. (2004). Love online. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berscheid, E., & Walster, E. (1978). Interpersonal attraction. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
Byrne, D., London, O., & Reeves, K. (1968). The effects of physical attractiveness, sex, and attitude similarity on interpersonal attraction. Journal of Personality, 36, 259–271.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carter, D. (2005). Living in virtual communities: An ethnography of human relationships in cyberspace. Information, Communication & Society, 8, 148–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooper, A. (1999). Sexuality and the Internet: Surfing into the new millennium. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1, 181–187.Google Scholar
Cooper, A., McLoughlin, I., & Campbell, K. (2000). Sexuality in cyberspace: Update for the 21st century. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 4, 521–536.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooper, A., & Sportolari, L. (1997). Romance in cyberspace: Understanding online attraction. Journal of Sex Education and Therapy, 22, 7–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cornwell, B., & Lundgren, D. (2001). Love on the Internet: Involvement and misrepresentation in romantic relationships in cyberspace vs. realspace. Computers in Human Behavior, 17, 197–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duck, S., & Craig, G. (1975). Effects of type of information upon interpersonal attraction. Social Behavior and Personality, 3, 157–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellison, N., Heino, R., & Gibbs, J. (2006). Managing impressions online: Self-presentation processes in the online dating environment. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2). Retrieved June 15, 2007, from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue2/ellison.html.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fiore, A. T., & Donath, J. (2004). Online personals: An overview. Paper presented at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Vienna, Austria. Retrieved June 15, 2007, from http://smg.media.mit.edu/papers/atf/chi2004_personals_short.pdf.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraboni, R. (2004). Marriage market and homogamy in Italy: An event history approach. National Statistical Office. Retrieved February 1, 2007, from http://paa2004.princeton.edu/download.asp?submissionId=41515.
Gibbs, J., Ellison, N., & Heino, R. (2006). Self-presentation in online personals: The role of anticipated future interaction, self-disclosure, and perceived success in Internet dating. Communication Research, 33(2), 1–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, W. (1984). Neuromancer. New York: Ace Books.Google Scholar
Goffman, E. (1956). The presentation of self in everyday life. New York: Doubleday.Google Scholar
Hancock, J., Thom-Santelli, J., & Ritchie, T. (2004). Deception and design: The impact of communication technology on lying behavior. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 129–134), Vienna, Austria.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hatfield, E., & Sprecher, S. (1986). Mirror, mirror: The importance of looks in everyday life. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.Google Scholar
Joinson, A. (2001). Self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication: The role of self-awareness and visual anonymity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 177–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joinson, A. (2003). Understanding the psychology of Internet behaviour: Virtual worlds, real lives. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Konner, J. (2006). The mystery of love (PBS). Retrieved June 15, 2007, from http://www.themysteryoflove.org.
Lenhart, A., Rainie, L., & Lewis, O. (2001). Teenage life online: The rise of the instant-message generation and the Internet's impact on friendships and family relationships. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project.Google Scholar
McKenna, K. Y. A. (2007). A progressive affair: Online dating to real world mating. In Whitty, M., Baker, A., & Inman, J. (Eds.), Online matchmaking (pp. 112–124). Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave MacMillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKenna, K. Y. A., & Bargh, J. (2000). Plan 9 from cyberspace. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, 57–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKenna, K. Y., Green, A., & Gleason, M. (2002). Relationship formation on the internet: What's the big attraction? Journal of Social Issues, 58, 9–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Merkle, E., & Richardson, R. (2000). Digital dating and virtual relating: Conceptualizing computer mediated romantic relationships. Family Relations. 49, 187–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parks, M., & Floyd, K. (1996). Making friends in cyberspace. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 1(4). Retrieved June 15, 2007, from http://www.usc.edu/dept/annenberg/vol1/issue4/parks.html.Google Scholar
Parks, M., & Roberts, L. (1998). “Making moosic”: The development of personal relationships on line and a comparison to their off-line counterparts. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15, 517–537.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pilkington, N., & Lydon, J. (1997). The relative effect of attitude similarity and attitude dissimilarity on interpersonal attraction. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 107–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raymond, E. (2003). The on-line hacker jargon file (version 4.4.7). Retrieved June 15, 2007, from http://catb.org/jargon/html/M/meatspace.html.
Rheingold, H. (1993). The virtual community: Homesteading on the electronic frontier. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
Suler, J. (1996–2007). The psychology of cyberspace. Retrieved June 15, 2007, from http://www.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/psycyber.html.
Taylor, T. L. (2003). Intentional bodies: Virtual environments and the designers who shape them. International Journal of Engineering Education, 19, 25–34.Google Scholar
Tidwell, L. & Walther, J. (2002). Computer-mediated communication effects on disclosure, impressions, and interpersonal evaluations: Getting to know one another a bit at a time. Human Communication Research, 28, 317–348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Utz, S. (2000). Social information processing in MUDs: The development of friendships in virtual worlds. Journal of Online Behavior, 1(1). Retrieved June 15, 2007, from http://www.behavior.net/JOB/v1n1/utz.html.Google Scholar
Wallace, P. (1999). The psychology of the Internet. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walther, J. (1992). Interpersonal effects in computer-mediated interaction: A relational perspective. Communication Research, 19, 52–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walther, J., & Parks, M. (2002). Cues filtered out, cues filtered in: Computer-mediated communication and relationships. In Knapp, M. & Daly, J. (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal communication (pp. 529–563). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Wheeler, R., & Gunter, B. (1987). Change in spouse age difference at marriage: A challenge to traditional family and sex roles? Sociological Quarterly, 28, 411–421.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitty, M. & Carr, A. (2006). Cyberspace Romance: The psychology of online relationships. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave MacMillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitty, M., & Gavin, J. (2001). Age/sex/location: Uncovering the social cues in the development of online relationships. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 4, 623–630.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wright, K. (2004). On-line relational maintenance strategies and perceptions of partners within exclusively Internet-based and primarily Internet-based relationships. Communication Studies, 55, 418–432.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wysocki, D., & Thalken, J. (2007). Whips and chains? Fact or fiction? Content analysis of sadomasochism in Internet personal advertisements. In Whitty, M., Baker, A., & Inman, J. (Eds.), Online matchmaking. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×