Interpersonal communication in the web 2.0. The relations of young people with strangers

• Main Authors: JA Ruiz San-Román, G Brändle, MD Cáceres Zapatero
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad de La Laguna 2013-06-01
• Series: Revista Latina de Comunicación Social
• Subjects: Interpersonal communication; computer-mediated-communication; communication with strangers; young people; virtual social relations.
• Online Access: http://www.revistalatinacs.org/068/paper/984_Complutense/18_Caceresen.html

Introduction: This article presents the results of a research study on the new forms of interpersonal communication that young people establish in the Web 2.0. The general objective is to identify the transformations that have occurred in interpersonal computer-mediated-communication. The particular objectives are: a) to determine whether communication with strangers is a common practice among young people; b) to establish young internet users’ perception of “stranger”; and c) to establish the degree of trust young people place on strangers. Methods: The study (whose reference code is CSO2008-01496) is based on a survey carried out in Spain among 1121 young participants. Results: More than half (53.1%) of young people consider online communication with strangers to be a normal type of social relation; the profile of the internet users who talk to strangers on the internet is different from that of the people who do not talk to strangers online, as this latter group conceives interpersonal communications as more sincere, more controllable and more personal.