Perceived Intimacy Differences of Daily Online and Offline Interactions in People’s Social Network

Emmelyn A. J. Croes and Marjolijn L. Antheunis
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Emmelyn A. J. Croes: Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg University, 5037AB Tilburg, The Netherlands
Marjolijn L. Antheunis: Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg University, 5037AB Tilburg, The Netherlands

Societies, 2021, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: This study examined which media people use on a day-to-day basis to communicate and whether tie strength influenced this media use. Furthermore, we analyzed whether online and offline interactions differ in perceived intimacy and whether tie strength impacts perceived interaction intimacy: 347 real interactions of 9 participants (3 male, 6 female) were analyzed; 172 online (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, email, SMS interactions) and 175 offline (recorded phone and face-to-face conversations). The results revealed that the participants communicated most frequently face-to-face or via WhatsApp, especially with strong ties. Furthermore, participants rated their interactions with strong ties as more intimate compared to weak-tie interactions. Our findings have implications for Social Information Processing theory, as our findings show that people are equally able to communicate intimate messages online and offline.

Keywords: computer-mediated communication; intimacy; tie strength; social ties; interpersonal communication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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