Research On Virtual Intimate Relationship Mediated By Digital Technology

As digital technology gradually plays an increasingly important role in human life,interpersonal interactions mediated by digital technology have also undergone significant transformations,and intimate relationships are one of them.Using the research method of App walkthrough and semi-structured interviews,this study first analyses the basic characteristics,relationship types and reasons for seeking virtual intimate relationships mediated by digital technology,proposes that current virtual intimate relationships are characterized by virtual interactivity,immersive experience and hyperspace,and outlines familiar stranger relationships,realistic mobile relationships and attachment relationships to "paper people",while at the same time looking at the technical,It also discusses the reasons why people seek virtual intimacy in the digital age from four aspects: technological support,social roots,emotional needs and psychological factors,so as to provide a preliminary explanation and understanding of virtual gender intimacy in the digital age.Secondly,based on the interview data,this study has sorted out the establishment and development of virtual gender intimacy under the mediation of digital technology and identified four main stages of relationship establishment: the stage of a chance encounter in the digital world,the stage of sharing hobbies and revealing personality,the set of strengthening trust and confession of love,and the stage of meeting in reality and stable communication.The perceptions and attitudes of the builders of virtual gender intimacy are also explored.It is widely believed that virtual gender intimacy is not only a manifestation of one’s adaptation to social development but also a kind of "net bond" for digital social interaction,a symbolic space with conflicts,and a kind of "cloud engagement" that reconstructs the ethics of reality.Once again,based on the process of establishing virtual sexual intimacy and the theory of social penetration,this study proposes new characteristics of virtual sexual intimacy penetration.Firstly,there may be a large amount of information exchange during the targeted stage,and secondly,there is a need to increase the stage of strengthening trust and communication.The study found that interpersonal encounters under digital mediation are anonymity and virtual,which may make users more explicit about their own needs when they first meet,and also lead to noise in the process of users’ self-disclosure.Therefore,the stage of strengthening trust communication needs to be added before the stable communication stage.This study introduces the concept of noises to the process of social penetration,arguing that both noise from the self-representing side and noise from the receiving side play a role in the process of relational penetration in a digital society.Finally,this study summarises the factors influencing virtual gender intimacy mediated by digital technology,including external factors such as digital technology,social environment and cultural traditions,internal factors such as emotional foundations,personal experiences and psychological perceptions,and other factors such as free time.In virtual gender intimacy,people believe they can accomplish dressing and self-presentation,maintain a balance of intimacy,and use this to satisfy spiritual needs.Because it is a low-cost interpersonal communication,people are able to interact in a freer and more relaxed state.This study adds to the traditional theory of social penetration to make it more responsive to contemporary changes and developments.The study finds that the process of relationship penetration in the digital age has undergone some new changes and that the noise in interactions can significantly affect the establishment and maintenance of relationships due to the role of digital technology as a ’mediator’ in communication.The majority of respondents who have experienced virtual gender intimacy mediated by digital technology view digital intimacy in an optimistic light,even though there is a great deal of bad,fraudulent and criminal behavior in interpersonal interactions in the digital world,which can be avoided by remaining alert to it.