The Contact Hypothesis Reconsidered: Interacting via the Internet

Abstract

One of the leading theories advocated for reducing intergroup conflict is the contact hypothesis. According to this theory, contact under certain conditions, such as equal status, cooperation towards a superordinate goal, and institutional support, will create a positive intergroup encounter, which, in turn, will bring about an improvement in intergroup relations. Despite its promise, the contact hypothesis appears to suffer from three major defects: (1) practicality—creating a contact situation involves overcoming some serious practical obstacles; (2) anxiety—the anxiety felt by the participants may cause a contact to be unsuccessful or at least not reach its potential; (3) generalization—the results of a contact, however sucessful, tend to to be limited to the context of the meeting and to the participants. The Internet has, in recent years, become an accessible and important medium of communication. The Internet creates a protected environment for users where they have more control over the communication process. This article suggests that the Internet’s unique qualities may help in the creation of positive contact between rival groups. The major benefits of using the Internet for contact are examined in this article.

Understanding project‐based learning in Second Life with a pedagogy, training, and assessment trio

“…In summary, the survey results indicate that the use of SL using a project-based experiential instructional design that exploits the affordances of a 3-D virtual environment can substantially enhance the quality and experiences of student learning, as suggested by the literature (Amichai-Hamburger and McKenna, 2006;Soukup, 2004). Furthermore, our survey results support the research findings of Steinkuehler and Williams (2006) that interacting within virtual worlds can expose people to a diversity of worldviews and can help them to build a sense of community through the development of virtual social relationships.…”

“…First, studies in computer mediated communication (CMC) find that diverse people interacting via the Internet are more likely to experience positive contact and a shared understanding due to the elimination of geographical barriers, reduction in social anxiety promoting ease of disclosure, and control over the environment (Amichai-Hamburger & McKenna, 2006;Soukup, 2004). Similarly, Steinkuehler and Williams (2006) found that interacting within virtual worlds not only helps people build communities but also exposes them to a "diversity of world views" through the development of these virtual social relationships.…”

Tweeting for peace? Twitter and the Ardoyne parade dispute in Belfast, July 2014

“…It might be more appropriate to consider online contact as the first stage in a process that leads to the richer intergroup contact discussed earlier. The gradual model proposed by AmichaiHamburger (2006) suggests that textonly interactions in shared online spaces can help build the trust and reciprocity needed for facetoface interactions between members of different social groups.…”

Computer-mediated communication and the reduction of prejudice: A controlled longitudinal field experiment among Jews and Arabs in Israel

“…Nowhere may this capacity be more critical than in the use of CMC to reduce prejudice. Scholarship addressing CMC and prejudice reduction (e.g., Amichai-Hamburger & McKenna, 2006) suggests that the Internet may foster salutary intergroup contact in small, diverse collectives by facilitating a number of conditions associated with Allport's (1954) contact hypothesis. Yet of the few implementations of CMC among Israeli sub-groups in conflict, for example, the results are contradictory (see AmichaiHamburger, 2012).…”

“…For instance, Amichai-Hamburger and McKenna (2006) have suggested that the social identification/deindividuation, or SIDE model of CMC (see for review Postmes & Baym, 2005) can explain how visually-anonymous CMC groups reduce prejudice online. Other researchers have argued that SIDE involves certain theoretical stipulations that actually prevent its useful application in intergroup reconciliation, and that the social information processing (SIP) theory and hyperpersonal model of CMC can more readily integrate with the intergroup contact hypothesis to effect prejudice reduction through extended online interactions (Walther, 2009a).…”