Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-ttngx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-08T21:31:40.839Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

16 - Relationship Maintenance in the Age of Technology

from Part IV - The Social Context of Relationship Maintenance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2019

By
John P. Caughlin  and
Ningxin Wang
Edited by
Brian G. Ogolsky  and
J. Kale Monk
Brian G. Ogolsky
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
J. Kale Monk
Affiliation:
University of Missouri
Get access

Summary

This chapter examines how computers and smartphones are used with (or instead of) face-to-face (F2F) interactions for relationship maintenance. After explicating two different definitions of the phrase “relationship maintenance,” we summarize research on the role of particular communication technologies in relationship maintenance. We argue that much contemporary relationship maintenance in romantic relationships occurs in mixed-media relationships, which occur when the “parties conduct in whole or in part through the use of multiple media, including F2F” (Parks). The primary focus of this chapter is on the maintenance of romantic relationships, yet we also review research on other types of relationships when the processes examined seem applicable to close relationships more broadly. We conclude with several important points for future research on relational maintenance and communication technologies, including recognizing that (a) even though technologies can help people maintain their relationships, they also can create burdens and problems; (b) the way people use technologies influences the effects of those technologies in relationships; (c) there is a need for more research on the specific behaviors using technologies in romantic relationships; and (d) even with the rise of communication technologies, face-to-face maintenance behaviors remain important.

Keywords

relational maintenancecomputer-mediated communicationmixed-media relationshipsmultimodalitysmartphonesmobile communicationsocial mediamedia multiplexitycommunication interdependencelong-distance relationships
Type
Chapter
Information
Relationship Maintenance
Theory, Process, and Context
 , pp. 304 - 322
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alberts, J. K., Yoshimura, C. G., Rabby, M., & Loschiavo, R. (2005). Mapping the topography of couples’ daily conversation. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 22, 299–322. doi:10.1177=0265407505050941CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arditti, J. A., & Kauffman, M. (2004). Staying close when apart: Intimacy and meaning in long-distance dating relationships. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 3, 27–51. doi:10.1300/J398v03n01_03Google Scholar
Baldassar, L. (2007). Transnational families and the provision of moral and emotional support: The relationship between truth and distance. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 14, 385–409. doi:10.1080/10702890701578423Google Scholar
Baym, N. K. (2015). Personal connections in the digital age (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Baym, N. K., Zhang, Y. B., & Lin, M. (2004). Social interactions across media. New Media & Society, 6, 299–318. doi:10.1177/1461444804041438Google Scholar
Bazarova, N. N., Taft, J. G., Choi, Y. H., & Cosley, D. (2013). Managing impressions and relationships on Facebook: Self-presentational and relational concerns revealed through the analysis of language style. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 32, 121–141. doi:10.1177/0261927X12456384CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In Richardson, J. G. (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood.Google Scholar
Brody, N., LeFebvre, L. E., & Blackburn, K. G. (2016). Social networking site behaviors across the relational lifespan: Measurement and association with relationship escalation and de-escalation. Social Media + Society, 2, 1–16. doi:10.1177/2056305116680004Google Scholar
Brody, N., & Peña, J. (2015). Equity, relationship maintenance, and linguistic features of text messaging. Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 499–506. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.03.037Google Scholar
Burke, M., & Kraut, R. E. (2016). The relationship between Facebook use and well-being depends on communication type and tie strength. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 21, 265–281. doi:10.1111/jcc4.12162CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caughlin, J. P., Basinger, E. D., & Sharabi, L. L. (2017). The connections between communication technologies and relational conflict: A multiple goals and communication interdependence perspective. In Samp, J. A. (Ed.), Communicating interpersonal conflict in close relationships: Contexts, challenges and opportunities (pp. 57–72). New York: NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Caughlin, J. P., & Sharabi, L. L. (2013). A communicative interdependence perspective of close relationships: The connections between mediated and unmediated interactions matter. Journal of Communication, 63, 873–893. doi:10.1111/jcom.12046Google Scholar
Chen, Y-F., & Katz, J. E. (2009). Extending family to school life: College students’ use of the mobile phone. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 67, 179–191. doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2008.09.002Google Scholar
Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. The American Journal of Sociology, 94, 95–120. doi:10.1086/228943Google Scholar
Dainton, M. & Aylor, B. (2002). Patterns of communication channel use in the maintenance of long-distance relationships. Communication Research Reports, 19, 118–129. doi:10.1080/08824090209384839CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dindia, K., & Canary, D. J. (1993). Definitions and theoretical perspectives on maintaining relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 10, 163–173. doi:10.1177/026540759301000201Google Scholar
Duran, R. L., Kelly, L., & Rotaru, T. (2011). Mobile phones in romantic relationships and the dialectic of autonomy versus connection. Communication Quarterly, 59, 19–36. doi:10.1080/01463373.2011.541336Google Scholar
Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook “friends:” Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, 1143–1168. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.xGoogle Scholar
Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2011). Connection strategies: Social capital implications of Facebook-enabled communication practices. New Media & Society, 13, 873–892. doi:10.1177/1461444810385389Google Scholar
Ellison, N. B., Vitak, J., Gray, R., & Lampe, C. (2014). Cultivating social resources on social network sites: Facebook relationship maintenance behaviors and their role in social capital processes. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19, 855–870. doi:10.1111/jcc4.12078Google Scholar
Fox, J., Osborn, J. L., & Warber, K. M. (2014). Relational dialectics and social networking sites: The role of Facebook in romantic relationship escalation, maintenance, conflict, and dissolution. Computers in Human Behavior, 35, 527–534. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.02.031Google Scholar
Greenwood, S., Perrin, A., & Duggan, M. (2016). Social media update 2016. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from www.pewinternet.org/2016/11/11/social-media-update-2016/Google Scholar
Guldner, G. T., & Swensen, C. H. (1995). Time spent together and relationship quality: Long-distance relationships as a test case. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 12, 313–320. doi:10.1177/0265407595122010Google Scholar
Hall, J. A. (2018). When is social media use social interaction? Defining mediated social interaction. New Media & Society, 20(1), 162–179. doi:10.1177/1461444816660782Google Scholar
Hall, J. A., & Baym, N. K. (2012). Calling and texting (too much): Mobile maintenance expectations, (over) dependence, entrapment, and friendship satisfaction. New Media & Society, 14, 316–331. doi:10.1177/1461444811415047Google Scholar
Haythornthwaite, C. (2005). Social networks and Internet connectivity effects. Information, Communication & Society, 8, 125–147. doi:10.1080/13691180500146185Google Scholar
Ishii, K. (2006). Implications of mobility: The uses of personal communication media in everyday life. Journal of Communication, 56, 346–365. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00023.xGoogle Scholar
Jiang, C. L., & Hancock, J. T. (2013). Absence makes the communication grow fonder: Geographic separation, interpersonal media, and intimacy in dating relationships. Journal of Communication, 63, 556–577. doi:10.1111/jcom.12029Google Scholar
Jin, B., & Peña, J. F. (2010). Mobile communication in romantic relationships: Mobile phone use, relational uncertainty, love, commitment, and attachment styles. Communication Reports, 23, 39–51. doi:10.1080/08934211003598742Google Scholar
Johnson, A. J., Bostwick, E., & Bassick, M. (2017). Long-distance versus geographically close romantic relationships: The effects of social media on the development and maintenance of these relationships. In Punyanunt-Carter, N. & Wrench, J. S. (Eds.), The impact of social media in modern romantic relationships (pp. 113–129). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.Google Scholar
Johnson, A. J., Haigh, M. M., Becker, J. A. H., Craig, E. A., & Wigley, S. (2008). College students’ use of relational management strategies in email in long-distance and geographically close relationships. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, 381–404. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2008.00401.xGoogle Scholar
Kelley, H. H., Berscheid, E., Christensen, A., Harvey, J. H., Huston, T. L., Levinger, G., … Peterson, D. R. (1983). Close relationships. New York, NY: Freeman.Google Scholar
Laliker, M. K., & Lannutti, P. J. (2014). Remapping the topography of couples’ daily interactions: Electronic messages. Communication Research Reports, 31, 262–271. doi:10.1080/08824096.2014.924336Google Scholar
LaRose, R., Connolly, R., Lee, H., Li, K., & Hales, K. D. (2014). Connection overload? A cross cultural study of the consequences of social media connection. Information Systems Management, 31, 59–73. doi:10.1080/10580530.2014.854097Google Scholar
Ledbetter, A. M. (2009). Patterns of media use and multiplexity: Associations with sex, geographic distance and friendship interdependence. New Media & Society, 17, 1187–1208. doi:10.1177/1461444809342057Google Scholar
Ledbetter, A. M. (2010). Assessing the measurement invariance of relationship maintenance behavior when face-to-face and online.Communication Research Reports, 27, 30–37. doi:10.1080/08824090903526620CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Licoppe, C. (2004). “Connected” presence: The emergence of a new repertoire for managing social relationships in a changing communication technoscape. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 22, 135–156. doi:10.1068/d323tGoogle Scholar
Ling, R., & Lai, C. (2016). Microcoordination 2.0: Social coordination in the age of smartphones and messaging apps. Journal of Communication, 68, 834–856. doi:10.1111/jcom.12251Google Scholar
Luo, S. (2014). Effects of texting on satisfaction in romantic relationships: The role of attachment. Computers in Human Behavior, 33, 145–152. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.01.014Google Scholar
Luo, S., & Tuney, S. (2015). Can texting be used to improve romantic relationships? – The effects of sending positive text messages on relationship satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 670–678. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.035Google Scholar
Madianou, M., & Miller, D. (2011). Mobile phone parenting: Reconfiguring relationships between Filipina migrant mothers and their left-behind children. New Media & Society, 13, 457–470. doi:10.1177/1461444810393903Google Scholar
Maguire, K., & Connaughton, S. L. (2011). A cross-contextual examination of technologically mediated communication and presence in long distance relationships. In Webb, L. & Wright, K. (Eds.), Computer-Mediated Communication in Personal Relationships (pp. 244–265). New York, NY: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
McEwan, B. (2013). Sharing, caring, and surveilling: An actor-partner interdependence model investigation of Facebook relationship maintenance. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16, 863–869. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0717Google Scholar
McEwan, B., Sumner, E., Eden, J., & Fletcher, J. (2018). The effects of Facebook relationship maintenance on friendship quality: An investigation of the Facebook relationship maintenance measure. Communication Research Reports, 35(1), 1–11. doi:10.1080/08824096.2017.1361393Google Scholar
Merolla, A. J. (2010). Relationship maintenance and noncopresence reconsidered: Conceptualizing geographic separation in close relationships. Communication Theory, 20, 169–193. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2885.2010.01359.xGoogle Scholar
Neustaedter, C., & Greenberg, S. (2012). Intimacy in long-distance relationships over video chat. Proceedings of the 2012 ACM Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems – CHI’12, 753–762. New York, NY. doi:10/1145/2207676.2207785Google Scholar
Ogolsky, B. G., Monk, J. K., Rice, T. M., Theisen, J. C., & Maniotes, C. R. (2017). Relationship maintenance: A review of research on romantic relationships. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 9(3), 275–306.Google Scholar
Parks, M. R. (2017). Embracing the challenges and opportunities of mixed-media relationships. Human Communication Research, 43, 505–517. doi:10.1111/hcre.12125Google Scholar
Pettegrew, L. S., & Day, C. (2015). Smart phones and mediated relationships: The changing face of relational communication. The Review of Communication, 15, 122–139. doi:10.1080/15358593.2015.1044018Google Scholar
Pusateri, K. B., Roaché, D. J., & Wang, N. (2015). The role of communication technologies in serial arguments: A communication interdependence perspective. Argumentation and Advocacy, 52, 44–60. www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-443059657/the-role-of-communication-technologies-in-serial-argumentsGoogle Scholar
Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Ramirez, A., & Broneck, K. (2009). “IM me”: Instant messaging as relationship maintenance and everyday communication. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26, 291–314. doi:10.1177/0265407509106719Google Scholar
Reid, F. J. M., & Reid, D. J. (2010). The expressive and conversational affordances of mobile messaging. Behaviour & Information Technology, 29, 3–22. doi:10.1080/01449290701497079Google Scholar
Roberts, J. A., & David, M. E. (2016). My life has become a major distraction from my cell phone: Partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction among romantic partners. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 134–141. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.058Google Scholar
Rossetto, K. R. (2012). Relational coping during deployment: Managing communication and connection in relationships. Personal Relationships, 20, 568–586. doi:10.1111/pere.12000Google Scholar
Ruppel, E. K. (2014). Use of communication technologies in romantic relationships: Self-disclosure and the role of relationship development. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 32, 667–686. doi:10.1177/0265407514541075Google Scholar
Ruppel, E. K., Burke, T. J., & Cherney, M. R. (2018). Channel complementarity and multiplexity in long-distance friends’ patterns of communication technology use. New Media & Society, 20, 1564–1579. doi:10.1177/1461444817699995Google Scholar
Sahlstein, E. M. (2004). Relating at a distance: Negotiating being together and being apart in long-distance relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 21, 689–710. doi:10.1177/0265407504046115Google Scholar
Seo, M., Kim, J., & Prabu, D. (2015). Always connected or always distracted? ADHD symptoms and social assurance explain problematic use of mobile phone and multicommunicating. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 20, 667–681. doi:10.1111/jcc4.12140Google Scholar
Seo, M., Kim, J., & Yang, H. (2016). Frequent interaction and fast feedback predict perceived social support: Using crawled and self-reported data of Facebook users. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 21, 282–297. doi:10.1111/jcc4.12160Google Scholar
Sharabi, L. L., & Caughlin, J. P. (2017). Usage patterns of social media across stages of romantic relationships. In Punyanunt-Carter, N. & Wrench, J. S. (Eds.), The impact of social media in modern romantic relationships (pp. 15–29). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.Google Scholar
Sosik, V. S., & Bazarova, N. N. (2014). Relationship maintenance on social network sites: How Facebook communication predicts relational escalation. Computers in Human Behavior, 35, 124–131. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.02.044CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stafford, L., & Canary, D. J. (1991). Maintenance strategies and romantic relationship type, gender and relational characteristics. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 8, 217–242. doi:10.1177/0265407591082004Google Scholar
Stafford, L., & Hillyer, J. D. (2012). Information and technologies in personal relationships. Review of Communication, 14, 290–312. doi:10.1080/15358593.2012.685951Google Scholar
Stafford, L., Kline, S., & Dimmick, J. (1999). Home e-mail: Relationship maintenance and gratification opportunities. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 43, 659–669. doi:10.1080/08838159909364515CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stafford, L., & Merolla, A. J. (2007). Idealization, reunions, and stability in long-distance dating relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 37–54. doi:10.1177/0265407507072578Google Scholar
Steinfield, C., Ellison, N. B., & Lampe, C. (2008). Social capital, self-esteem, and use of online social network sites: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29, 434–445. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2008.07.002Google Scholar
Su, H. (2016). Constant connection as the media condition of love: Where bonds become bondage. New Media & Society, 38, 232–247. doi:10.1177/0163443715594037Google Scholar
Tokunaga, R. S. (2016). Interpersonal surveillance over social network sites: Applying a theory of negative relationship maintenance and the investment model. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 33, 171–190. doi:10.1177/0265407514568749Google Scholar
Tong, S. T., & Walther, J. B. (2011). Relationship maintenance and CMC. In Wright, K. B. & Webb, L. M. (Eds.) Computer-mediated communication in personal relationships (pp. 98–118). New York, NY: Lang.Google Scholar
Valenzuela, S., Park, N., & Kee, K. F. (2009). Is there social capital in a social network site?: Facebook use and college students’ life satisfaction, trust, and participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14, 875–901. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01474.xGoogle Scholar
Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2009). The effects of instant messaging on the quality of adolescents’ existing friendships: A longitudinal study. Journal of Communication, 59, 7–97. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2008.01405.xGoogle Scholar
Van Ouytsel, J., Van Gool, E., Walrave, M., Ponnet, K., & Peeters, E. (2016). Exploring the role of social networking sites within adolescent romantic relationships and dating experiences. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 76–86. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.042Google Scholar
Vitak, J. (2014). Facebook makes the heart grow fonder: Relationship maintenance strategies among geographically dispersed and communication-restricted connections. CSCW’14 Proceedings of the 17th ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work & social computing, 842–853. New York, NY. doi:10.1145/2531602.2531726Google Scholar
Walsh, S. P., White, K. M, & Young, R. M. (2009). The phone connection: A qualitative exploration of how belongingness and social identification relate to mobile phone use amongst Australian youth. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 19, 225–240. doi:10.1002/casp.983Google Scholar
Wang, N., Roaché, D. J., & Pusateri, K. B. (2018). Interconnection of multiple communication modes in long-distance dating relationships. Online first publication. Western Journal of Communication. doi: 10.1080/10570314.2018.1552986Google Scholar
Wei, R., & Lo, V.-H. (2006). Staying connected while on the move: Cell phone use and social connectedness. New Media & Society, 8, 53–72. doi:10.1177/1461444806059870Google Scholar
Wendorf, J. E., & Yang, F. (2015). Benefits of a negative post: Effects of computer-mediated venting on relationship maintenance. Computers in Human Behavior, 52, 271–277. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.05.040Google Scholar
Wilding, R. (2006). “Virtual” intimacies? Families communicating across transnational contexts. Global Networks, 6, 125–142. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0374.2006.00137.xGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×