Social Penetration in a Technology-Driven WorldArizona State, Lecture notes of Accounting

Download Social Penetration in a Technology-Driven WorldArizona State and more Lecture notes Accounting in PDF only on Docsity! Social Penetration in a Technology-Driven World Arizona State University The Social Penetration Theory is an objective theory that attempts to explain the process of "developing deeper intimacy with another person through mutual self-disclosure and other forms of vulnerability" (Griffin, et all., 2015). Utilizing social penetration to achieve relational closeness is quite different online than it is face-to-face. The following three articles address self-disclosure through social media and address the results utilizing social penetration theory. It is tempting to want to broadcast both positive and negative self-disclosure on social media pages. It creates opportunities for interactions and social penetration between both friends and strangers. Rains and Brunner (2018) found in two studies that the outcomes of positive and negative self-disclosure on social media was entirely dependent on the relationship between the reader and the discloser. The reader’s perception varied depending on the level of relational closeness they had with the discloser. The level of self-disclosure given on social media differs greatly when put into a dating environment. While people may be more open to self-disclose in an online situation, many people turn to uncertainty reduction strategies when disclosing to a potential romantic partner (Gibbs, et all., 2011). The amount of self-disclosure given in an online dating situation is dependent on concerns (personal security, misrepresentation, and recognition), self-efficacy, and internet experience. While relational closeness can occur both online and offline, Ledbetter (2011) explains that “Offline communication appeared to be a much stronger predictor than Facebook communication, and thus we formally tested the significance of this difference … demonstrating that offline communication is indeed a stronger predictor of closeness” (p. 42). In his study, Ledbetter found that while individuals can achieve levels of relational closeness through online interaction, the level of social penetration is much deeper when done in-person.