The Social Penetration Theory Of Intimacy

Before this generation we would immerse ourselves in relationships. Now, could you say that all your Facebook friends are your actual friends? Sometimes all we need is a hug from someone that we have a genuine relationship with. People wouldn’t be able to get that if they constantly use their phones to become “social” they will never amount to their true potential in relationships. Bryce Skylar a writer for People’s World says, “The problem, it appears, is that social media has infiltrated every aspect of daily life”. When you put down your phone, you will create an endless opportunity to gain organic relationships.

The article “When Your Smartphone Is Too Smart for Your Own Good: How social Media Alters Human Relationships” by Lori Ann Wagner begins with a summary the film “Her” which a Los Angeles man of the future falls in love his OS device and begins to develop an intimate relationship with “Her”. Wagner mentions that to many, the notion of one falling in love with their OS device might seem overdone, but questions if it really is. Wagner begins to explain how as human we have an innate need to be social and experience the feeling of belonging, which is why people turn topical media. With social media it is easier to acquire this interaction with others that is so desired, without having to put in the effort required for a physical relationship. Wagner

A prevalent issue regarding social media and interactions exists between researchers and social network users. Social media is currently changing how relationships between people are created. Relationships can exist through people across the world through social media and can produce more emotional bonds with friends that you can see everyday. On the other hand, social media also could present conflicts due to the fact that some of these relationships can become unhealthy and that people could change to be more dependent on internet friends, becoming introverted.

Virtual relationships are becoming more and more popular, due to social media. Along with relationships, Lambert brought up a comparison between modern intimacy and pre-modern intimacy, which states that modern intimacy is privatization and pre-modern intimacy is obligatory relationships. Because virtual relationships are becoming more popular, these types of intimacy may not matter as much because virtual intimacy could become a social norm. Since everything is on the internet, there is no such thing as privacy. Young people are so prone to the idea of having social media that they do not think twice about posting a self-promoting status or

The article Electronic Intimacy by Christine Rosen talks about the relationships people have with the online world and how it affects relationships because everything is just so fast. The purpose this article was written is to give her audience which is people who use social media to experience an actual in person relationship because the only relationship we know today lies in a direct message. Rosen poses a question to her audience that has us all thinking and also is her thesis. The question says “But does the way we communicate with each other alter that experience significantly?” (Paragraph 5). But it makes sense because in today’s world there is no such thing as personal relationships which is why Rosen states that “We are living in an

Social penetration theory believes relationships can progress from platonic to intimate through increasing self-disclosure (West & Turner, 2010, pp. 168-169). During the initial stages of a relationship, self-disclosure needs to be reciprocated, in order for trust to form (Wright, 2017). Any relationship can evolve by using social penetration theory; it is not specific to any one type of relationship. However, talking about sensitive topics is not easy, and can lead to a person feeling vulnerable. Consequently, it is imperative, during the initial stages of a relationship, that self- disclosure is reciprocated, in order to form trust (West & Turner, 2010, pp. 168-169 & Wright, 2017). Social penetration theory predicts nonintimate

This seems to be the common line that sparks an in depth conversation these days. As technology is evolving, people have become hooked to scrolling through pages and pages of social media on a tiny screen. With the increasing availability to connect with others through apps, the dating world has drastically changed throughout the years. This topic of love and relationships in the current day and age is discussed and analysed in Aziz Ansari’s book, Modern Romance. With the help of NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg, Ansari explains how not only our perspectives and expectations of love have changed, but also how the online dating world has evolved to become part of modern society. He expresses his own thoughts and opinions about romance and talks through his dating experiences, resulting in an insightful and amusing read.

Society today sees technology as a beneficial tool; however, it ultimately damages relationships by distorting the perception of what authentic human contact is. While providing the ability to keep in touch with friends around the world and share memories, social media definitely has negative effects on our society. For example, the fundamental criteria for what makes human contact authentic is damaged, and is at risk of extinction due to the role social media plays in our society.

In today's world, the expectations to fall in love have perhaps become "online". This is because dating sites are no more regarded as a tricky way for getting in touch with and bonding with new people. Instead, online dating is now gaining immense popularity as information technologies and digital media have congregated. The contemporary virtual social media has increased the evolution from vital matchmaking sites to sites that make it possible for anyone to "date" in reality online without even leaving their places. Even though face-to-face dating has not disappeared completely, the social media has enhanced the process of online dating tremendously (Brown, 2011).

In recent years, social penetration theory has been the focus of many online studies,and has been applied to, or adapted, in the context of online relationship studies, such as sexual self-disclosure, online friendships, and online social networks. (Tang & Wang, 2012) The social penetration theory as Joseph DeVito writes in The Interpersonal Communication Book is a theory not of why relationships develop but of what happens when they do develop (DeVito, 2016, p. 237). While there are a few concepts that are encompassed in the definition of social penetration theory, there are two prominent parts and they are, breadth and depth. The breadth of a relationship refers to the amount of topics you and your partner talk about, and depth refers to the degree to which you penetrate the inner personality—the core—of the other individual (DeVito, 2016). In simpler terms, “how do you let people in,” and “how much and how in depth do you go into a topic?” Let it be known, however, that there is such thing as a withdrawal between the amount of breadth and depth communicated between individuals in a relationship. Such a concept is known as depenetration. While there will be a fairly low amount of attention paid to this concept, it’s important to understand that this contrast of social penetration exists.

Relationships are like onions, they take time to open up and you have to peel layer by layer to get to the center. Life happens, people come and go and the relationships that are made happen over time. A relationship is built over prolonged exposure to someone and they do not happen over night. When you first meet a person most judge, they look at a person’s appearance, their behavior, and their overall attitude. But as time goes on and you get to know someone on a more personal level you learn whom he or she really is. This idea is called the social penetration theory. Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor established the social penetration theory in 1973. They created this theory to have a better understanding of intimate relationships between two people. The social penetration theory is important to the communication process because it looks at how relationships develop and how over time relationships evolve from where they stared by self-disclosure. With the social penetration theory as the main focus and with the support from communication studies, this paper is assessing the formation of new relationships.

Homnack (2015) suggests that “online dating has changed the ways in which interpersonal relationships are developed and maintained” (p. 2); Online daters are granted access to use various platforms through which they can easily meet other singles alike to them. Holloway and Valentine (2003) highlight that “for marginalized people, the internet allows them to meet other people alike to themselves who may not be immediately available in their local social circles” (Pascoe, 2011, p. 9). According to Pascoe (2009a) “young adults especially are at the forefront of developing, using, reworking, and incorporating new media into their dating practices in ways that might be unknown, unfamiliar and sometimes scary to adults” (p. 117). Today, the main

My generation has grown up with technology in our hands since we were toddlers. We are dependent on technology, from Iphones, Laptops,tablets, ipods, even watches that keep us connected to a never ending supply of distant connection. Social media is the source of many problems in our society. One of the problems is the lack of communication in a relationship. One misconception about social media is that it has the ability to strengthen a relationship because you have another avenue of communication when in fact it is detrimental, due to lack of intimate interaction between two people. Social media not only takes away face to face interactions, but it leads to trust issues, cheating and a lack of confrontation.

In our society today a person can often look around a room of people and see nothing but the top of their heads, along with their eyes staring down at lit up screen filled with tremendous possibilities. One thing you doubtfully will view is everyone surrounding talking to each other making kinship with in their proximity. Instead, making connections through their phones. In the article written by Nancy Jo Sales “Tinder and the Dawn of the“Dating Apocalypse””, Sales speaks of the dating culture of the current twenty-first century and her views on how online dating has affected thus creating a sort of “Dating Apocalypse”. In the culture of intimacy may it be consciously or subconsciously people are seeking love and security in their lives through hookups and technological dating cites such as Tinder.

Technology is great for sending quick messages but shouldn’t be a place where we are always communicating. In order to have more authentic relationships we shouldn’t use technology for creating relationships because you truly can’t learn about one another if you’re not communicating in real life as well. What we put out on social media is often times fabricated or enhanced to depict a life that we aspire. We can edit text or pictures to our discretion and even delete images or texts, which we can’t do in real life, which is why we tend to prefer texting and social media because we have