University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations May 2018 Computer-mediation Communication and Changing Expectations of Romantic Couples Samantha F. Quinn University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation Quinn, Samantha F., "Computer-mediation Communication and Changing Expectations of Romantic Couples" (2018). Theses and Dissertations. 1902. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/1902 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION AND CHANGING EXPECTATIONS OF ROMANTIC COUPLES by Samantha Forbes Quinn A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Communication at University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee May 2018 ABSTRACT COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION AND CHANGING EXPECTATIONS OF ROMANTIC COUPLES by Samantha F. Quinn The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, 2018 Under the Supervision of Assistant Professor Erin Ruppel Due to the complexity of romantic relationships and the integration of new communication technologies into relationship maintenance, the present study uses expectancy violations theory (EVT) to examine expectations, expectancy violations, and the changing expectations of romantic couples when using computer-mediated communication (CMC; i.e., social media websites, email, text messaging, etc.). Additionally, the study investigates the impact of changing expectations on relational quality. Twenty-five individuals were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. The interviews were analyzed according to Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step approach for thematic analysis. Narrative and in-vivo coding were used to identify themes in participants’ responses. Themes regarding behavioral expectations for CMC included: (a) a response, (b) clear communication, (c) task-oriented versus relational messages and (d) respect. Regarding expectancy violations, themes included: (a) lack of communication, (b) disrespect, (c) sharing/posting as a violation, (d) affectionate messages. Additionally, the ability to discuss expectations with a romantic partner was positively associated with relational quality. Findings uncovered that committed relationships allow for more communication about expectations and changes in expectations. Practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. ii Keywords: expectancy violations theory, romantic relationships, computer-mediated communication, relational quality, uncertainty, satisfaction, commitment iii © Copyright by Samantha F. Quinn, 2018 All Rights Reserved iv To my amazing family 143 v TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................................... 4 EXPECTATIONS IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS ............................................................................ 4 EXPECTANCY VIOLATIONS THEORY ............................................................................................ 5 Violation valence. ................................................................................................................... 8 Communicator reward value. ................................................................................................. 9 Extension of EVT................................................................................................................... 10 Changing expectations. ......................................................................................................... 11 EXPECTANCY VIOLATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY .......................................................................... 15 RELATIONSHIP QUALITY ............................................................................................................ 20 Uncertainty. .......................................................................................................................... 21 Satisfaction. ........................................................................................................................... 22 Commitment. ......................................................................................................................... 23 III. METHOD ........................................................................................................................... 24 PARTICIPANTS ............................................................................................................................ 24 PROCEDURES ............................................................................................................................. 25 Recruitment. .......................................................................................................................... 25 Interviews. ............................................................................................................................. 26 Recording data. ..................................................................................................................... 29 DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................ 29 Establishing data credibility. ................................................................................................ 29 Conducting the thematic analysis. ........................................................................................ 30 IV. FINDINGS ......................................................................................................................... 32 TIERS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ROMANTIC PARTNERS ................................................... 33 Tier #1: Face-to-face communication. ................................................................................. 33 Tier #2: Video conferencing, voice-to-voice, and SMS. ....................................................... 34 Tier #3: Applications. ........................................................................................................... 35 EXPECTATIONS AND EXPECTANCY VIOLATIONS FOR CMC ....................................................... 36 Expectation: A response. ...................................................................................................... 37 Expectation: Clear communication. ..................................................................................... 41 Violation: Lack of Communication. ...................................................................................... 41 Expectation: Task-oriented v. Relational messages. ............................................................ 42 Violation: Sharing/posting as a violation. ............................................................................ 44 Violation: Affectionate messages. ......................................................................................... 45 Expectation: Respect. ............................................................................................................ 46 Violation: Disrespect. ........................................................................................................... 47 DISCUSSING EXPECTATIONS FOR CMC ...................................................................................... 48 RESPONSES TO EXPECTANCY VIOLATIONS................................................................................. 49 CHANGING EXPECTATIONS BETWEEN ROMANTIC COUPLES ....................................................... 51 Availability. ........................................................................................................................... 52 Information sharing. ............................................................................................................. 52 Variety of CMC. .................................................................................................................... 53 vi Select methods. ...................................................................................................................... 54 Life events. ............................................................................................................................ 55 Evolution of technology. ....................................................................................................... 56 Commitment level.................................................................................................................. 57 COMMUNICATION ABOUT CHANGING EXPECTATIONS................................................................ 58 CHANGING EXPECTATIONS AND RELATIONSHIP QUALITY ......................................................... 60 V. DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................................... 63 TIERS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ROMANTIC PARTNERS ................................................... 64 EXPECTATIONS FOR CMC .......................................................................................................... 68 RESPONSES TO EXPECTANCY VIOLATIONS................................................................................