Application of Social Penetration Theory to the Development of Romantic Relationships Through Social Media

Technology development have been present and growing rapidly in everyday life, one of which is in terms of the development of social media. The ease of accessing the internet is one of the factors for the high number of social media users. In forming relationships with individuals, an important aspect in forming a relationship is communication. This study aims to determine the application of Self Disclosure in social penetration theory on the development of romantic relationships between individuals who communicate online through social media. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method with content analysis method, namely conducting a literature review on the keywords social penetration, self-disclosure, and social media. This study found that self-disclosure in the context of developing romantic relationships online focuses more on intimate information about a person and what they choose to share with others. The process of online communication speeds up surface-level conversations, but if the relationship development is in a more intimate and romantic stage, it will be more quickly established if using face-to-face communication.