The Process of Self-Disclosure in Female Roblox Players’ Interpersonal Communication in Developing Online to Offline Cross-Gender Friendships
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.9744/joce.4.2.144-161Keywords:
self-disclosure, interpersonal communication, roblox, cross-gender friendship, case studyAbstract
This study aims to understand the process of self-disclosure in interpersonal communication between female Roblox players and their male friends, beginning in the digital space and developing into real-world friendships. This study uses a qualitative approach with a single case study design based on multiple units of analysis, in which the single case examined is the phenomenon of self-disclosure on the Roblox platform as a whole, with three pairs of informants (one female Roblox player and one male friend she met through the platform) serving as units of analysis. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and non-participant observation of personal conversations between informants, analyzed with the aid of NVivo. The findings reveal five main results: Roblox functions as a safe space constructed differently by each informant according to her psychological barriers; self-disclosure develops gradually from shallow to personal topics as trust increases; men tend to open up first, yet women initiate the move to a more private platform; face-to-face meetings function as a relational bridge that verifies trust built online; and the resulting friendships are unexpected. This study contributes to self-disclosure research by showing that digital self-disclosure is actively constructed by users according to their own psychological needs.
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