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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expectancy violations theory | 9/17 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expectancy_violations_theory | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T10:06:53.972000+00:00 | kb-cron |
=== Computer-mediated communication and social media === As has previously been addressed, EVT has evolved tremendously over the years, expanding beyond its original induction when it focused on FtF communication and proxemics. The advancement of information and communications technology has provided tools for expressing oneself and conveying messages beyond just typing in text. As already discussed, arousal can divert one's attention or interest from a message to the source of the arousal. Virtual realities created online through computer-mediated communication (CMC), especially those which evoke strong visual presence through media, can increase arousal levels, such as those with high violent or sexual content. Just as people may use television viewing to increase or decrease arousal levels, people may use media in online communication to increase or decrease arousal levels. People may interact with others online by assuming the identities of avatars which may take on completely different, alternate personalities. The differences in perceived intimateness, co-presence, and emotionally-based trust can very significantly between avatar communication and other communication modalities such as text chat, audio, and audio-visual. The media options available to users when communicating with others online present a host of potential expectancy violations unique to CMC. The introduction of social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as dating social networks such as Match.com and eHarmony, has greatly contributed to the increased use of computer-mediated communication which now offers a context for studying communication devoid of nonverbal information. Though these media are relatively new, they have been in existence long enough for users to have developed norms and expectations about appropriate behaviors in the online world. However, there has been a lag by researchers to study and understand these new established norms, which makes CMC rich with heuristic possibilities from a communications theory perspective. Ramirez and Wang studied the occurrence and timing of modality switching, or shifts from online communication to FtF interaction, from the perspective of EVT. Their research documented inconsistent findings which revealed in some instances relationships were enhanced and in others they were dampened, indicating the expectations, evaluations, and outcomes associated with initial modality switches varied amongst individuals. Additionally, studies have found that when individuals who meet online meet face-to-face for the first time, the length of time spent communicating online can determine whether individuals will rate physical characteristics of each other positively or negatively. Unlike FtF communication, CMC allows people to pretend to be connected with a person who violates their expectancy by ignoring violations or filtering news feed. Meanwhile, people can also cut the connection completely with someone who is not important by deleting friendship status when a serious violation occurs. A confrontation is much more likely for close friends than for acquaintances, and compensation is much more likely for acquaintances, a finding which contrasts typical EVT predictions. Furthermore, EVT on the Internet environment is strongly related to online privacy issues. In a study done in 2018, Tang found that expectation violations of both the amount of likes a post gets, and the expectation violating of who likes the post, can negatively affect the original poster's mental health and perceived friend support. Online Activism Judgments In a study measuring the effects of third party expectations and judgements when viewing anti-Asian hate tweets, Tong and DeAndrea found how powerful expectancies can be. In the experiment, Tong and DeAndrea took 196 white active X users and measured their political ideologies on a scale from 1 (a strong republican) to 7 (a strong democrat). Then the researchers showed each participant an extremely offensive fake anti-Asian post on the platform from either a white or black poster indicated by the profile picture. Then they asked the participants a serious of questions. Tong and DeAndrea found that white republicans viewed a black poster spreading anti-Asian hate as more ethnically prototypical compared to a white poster. On the contrary, white democrats viewed a white posters spreading anti-Asian hate as more ethnically prototypical compared to a black poster. Additionally, the stronger the republican, the stronger they viewed the black poster as ethnically prototypical. The stronger the democrat, the stronger they viewed the white person as ethnically prototypical. Moderates consistently fell in the middle.
==== Facebook ====
In social media, such as Facebook, people are connected online with friends and sometimes strangers. Norm violations on Facebook may include too many status updates, overly emotional status updates or Wall posts, heated interactions, name calling through Facebook's public features, and tags on posts or pictures that might reflect negatively on an individual. Research indicates that the perception of this act as a negative expectancy violation is influenced by factors such as the duration of the Facebook friendship and the nature of the personal ties between the individuals involved. Longer-standing Facebook friendships, as well as stronger personal connections, tend to result in the unfriending action being viewed as a more significant breach of social norms and expectations. This severity, in turn, plays a role in whether the individual who initiates the unfriending communicates their decision to the other party. The research highlights the intricate dynamics of online social interactions and the weighted considerations behind the decision to unfriend, reflecting the nuanced nature of digital relationships and the expectations that govern them. In a study conducted by Fife, Nelson, and Bayles of focus groups from a Southeastern liberal arts university, five themes were ascertained regarding Facebook use and expectancy violations: