15. Video Chat, Social Presence, and Idealization in Long-Distance Romantic Relationships

With the rapid pace of changes in communication technologies, it is pertinent to stay updated on how such technologies are utilized for relational purposes. Despite video chat being over a decade old and the primary mode of communication for long-distance romantic partners (Kirk, 2013; Pinsker, 2019), not much research has provided further insight beyond how long-distance romantic partners use infrequent phone calls and emailing to maintain their relationships (Stafford & Merolla, 2007). This study attempted to close the gap on the lack of these insights and look into how the use of rich media such as video chat might reduce the higher levels of idealization that have been found among long-distance romantic partners (Stafford & Reske, 1990). Idealization has been understood by past research to be fueled by certain behaviors – limited face-to-face contact, conflict avoidance, and selective self-presentation. Despite noting these behaviors as potential reasons for having higher idealization in a long-distance relationship, previous studies have neglected to measure idealistic behaviors as they relate to perceived idealization. Though it was predicted that those that engaged in more idealistic behaviors would perceive more idealization, it was found instead that participants that engaged in a lower amount of such behaviors tended to score higher on their perceived level of idealization regarding their long-distance romantic partner. Additionally, women were significantly more likely than men to engage in all three idealization behaviors. Though social presence and the three idealization behaviors were tested as mediators, no significant mediation effects were found.

Mid-Level

Knowledge

Women in Statistics and Data Science 2024