The social information processing theory explains how people develop relationships online through strategies such as word choice and self-disclosure. Research supports the theory that online relationships can be just as emotionally significant as offline ones. However, critics argue that anonymity can lead to depersonalization and that attitude towards the medium affects relationship formation.
Sociologists agree that the advent of the Internet has enabled people to be in contact with others who they probably would not have met under other circumstances due to geographical distance or perceived “out-of-group” status. Social information processing theory is a model that has been developed to explain the nature of these interactions. According to this theory, people are motivated to develop interpersonal relationships regardless of medium and will develop strategies to overcome the apparent lack of non-verbal cues typically found in Internet-based communication. This theory contrasts with other models that suggest that computer-mediated communication leads to depersonalization.
Social information processing theory examines the nature of online relationships formed through work, school, or social environments. Research supporting this theory indicates that even if initial contact between individuals is task-oriented, as in the case of an online group project for school, members will also develop social bonds over time. These bonds can take longer to develop than offline relationships, but some research indicates that the resulting emotional and social connection is no less significant.
In face-to-face interactions, people intuitively judge each other through nonverbal cues, such as body language, tone of voice, and even clothing or personal appearance. Naturally, in online interactions, these particular non-verbal cues are not present, so other strategies are developed. On the Internet, factors such as word choice, frequency of communication, emoticons, etc., provide clues about the nature of a relationship and help people develop friendships.
Online relationships, according to social information processing theory, may also involve higher levels of self-disclosure than offline relationships. For example, a person might be providing highly emotionally significant information about the death of a spouse over the Internet, whereas they might be less inclined to do so offline. One reason is that anonymous online relationships are low-risk; if something goes wrong in an online relationship, it’s less likely to affect the person’s offline life. Second, people can disclose more information on the Internet to facilitate relationship growth in the absence of non-verbal cues. This is known as “over-personalization”.
Critics of social information processing theory argue that the anonymity of computer-mediated communication leads people to depersonalize both themselves and others. Anyone who has seen “trolling” – making inappropriate or hurtful comments on the internet simply for the sake of being inappropriate or hurtful – can attest to the fact that this can and does happen. Some research also indicates that people do not automatically form relationships online, but that their attitude towards the medium will determine the level of relationship formed. Someone who is skeptical of computer-mediated communication will naturally not be as likely to form connections on the Internet as someone who has a favorable attitude towards it.
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