Relation of shyness with aspects of online relationship involvement

Abstract

Relationships that individuals develop using an online medium constitute a relatively new way of forming personal attachments with others. Researchers have only recently begun to explore online relationship involvement and the personality characteristics that may draw individuals to use this medium for relationship development. Although certain aspects have been proposed, including loneliness and social anxiety, to date only a few studies have explored these issues. The primary focus of this study involved examining the relation of participants’ shyness with identical aspects of online and face-to-face relational involvement. University students were surveyed, with 146 reporting involvement in at least one online relationship. Results indicated that correlations of shyness with aspects of involvement in online relationships were greater than those with involvement in face-to-face relationships. However, shyness was not significantly related to aspects of online relationship involvement. Other findings included the comparability of surveys measuring both face-to-face and online relational involvement and the relationship of participants’ sex with aspects of involvement in online relationships.