Online Chat Rooms: Virtual Spaces of Interaction for Socially Oriented People

TLDR

The internet has opened a new social space for communication. The study investigates interpersonal relationships in cyberspace using chat channels as the interaction medium. The authors employ chat channels to examine how users form and maintain relationships online. Data show that online chat users have distinct sociodemographic and personality profiles, specific use habits and motivations, and that the relationships they develop are healthy complements to face‑to‑face ties, findings corroborated by personality studies and discussed for their theoretical and methodological implications.

Abstract

The internet has opened a new social space for communication. The present work studies interpersonal relationships in cyberspace using the chat channel as an interaction medium. Data obtained have outlined the sociodemographic and personality profile of internet users who engage in online chats as well as group self-perception, chatters' use habits, motivations to interact online, and the chatters' network of virtual and face-to-face relationships. Results suggests that relationships developed online are healthy and a complement to face-to-face relationships. These data are confirmed by personality studies. The theoretical and methodological implications of data are discussed.