UPP045/XAB041 Assessment: Comparing Facebook Relationship Sources

This report presents a comparative analysis of two sources discussing the influence of Facebook on romantic relationships. The first source, an article from The New York Times by Gretchen Kelmer, examines how Facebook can clarify relationship statuses, while the second source, a research article by Jesse Fox and Katie M. Warber, explores the role of social networking sites in romantic relationships, focusing on attachment, uncertainty, and partner surveillance. The report evaluates each source based on the reliability criteria of authority, audience, transparency, objectivity, and currency. The analysis reveals that the New York Times article, although insightful, is less suitable for academic purposes due to its age. In contrast, the research article provides valuable data and insights, making it highly suitable for academic study. The comparison highlights the importance of source evaluation in research, particularly when examining the impact of social media on interpersonal relationships, and how different types of sources can be used to gain a better understanding of a topic.

UPP045/XAB041 Assessment Task 3 Template
Following additional instructions on the Assessment Task sheet, use the template below to
produce your completed assessment. The template provides the headings which you should
use to organize your work and present your answers. For each heading you should apply the
reliability criteria and explain why or why not the source meets the reliability test. Provide
your answers in proper paragraphs and sentences (rather than dot points).
Comparison Report on Academic and non-Academic Sources
Source A: Facebook can help clarify the status of a relationship
Reliability Test: Authority
This well-detailed article has been written by Gretchen Kelmer, who proves to be a
therapist for couples and she has completed her residency in the domains of clinical
psychology. She has completed her research at the Center for marital and family studies at the
prestigious University of Denver, where she evaluated the vital role of social media platforms
in human relations. The article has been published in the prestigious New York Times, and
both the author and the platform speak high volumes when it comes to credibility and
reputation at the same time as well. The publisher’s interests appear quite clear as the article
has been directed towards raising general awareness.
Reliability Test: Audience
The targeted audience remains quite distinctively marked as the article focuses upon
social media users and how they are having an extreme time when it comes to defining their
relationships. As these individuals in relationships stand confused Facebook offers a valuable
tool gaining clarity about the state, nature, and position of a relationship. Couples can be

considered as the main audience who are finding a lot of difficulties while trying to
understand the parameters of the relationships they are in.
Reliability Test: Transparency
The article presented here offers a lot of transparency by identifying the core issues
faced by couples in relationships. It does not make use of any euphemism or an indirect
approach while dealing with the primary issues. The ambiguity and the unpredictability of
modern relationships have been highlighted along with the emotional expectations that
couples fulfill on the platforms of Facebook. The manners in which they make their
relationships conspicuous can reveal a lot of signs about where they might end up in the
distant future. The article also states that public expressions of commitment ensure less room
for misunderstandings for individuals engaged in a relationship.
Reliability Test: Objectivity
This article can be identified as really objective because it dives into the various
parameters of human relationships and emotional struggles without establishing biased
decisions, opinions or unproven facts at the same time as well. The presence of personal
feelings is quite absent in the entire article and relevant information has been provided in
order to arrive at fact-based evidence.
Reliability Test: Currency
The information is not recent because the article was last updated on December 20,
2012, at 7:01 AM. It clearly shows that the research or the article is 7 years old and it has not
been developed with new information, case scenarios, and data at the same time as well. The
information present here might not be perfectly current for the topic because seven years can

be considered as a longer period of time through which the influence of Facebook might have
changed.
Overall Assessment of the source
The entire article is extremely fact-based and it approaches issues in a distinctive
manner so that the highest forms of clarity can be gained. The core issues and the problems
have been highlighted perfectly and the ways in which Facebook plays a major part in the
regular lives of the couples also prove to be distinctive enough. More stress has been laid
upon how the parameters of social media and the various tools available there are actually
helping couples define their relationships. The source is not perfectly fit for academic
purposes as the information is quite old and there is an absence of detailed surveys or
assessment sessions that can provide insights.
Source B: Social Networking Sites in Romantic Relationships: Attachment,
Uncertainty, and Partner Surveillance on Facebook
Reliability Test: Authority
The creators of the source are Jesse Fox and Katie M Warber. Both individuals hold
doctorates on the domains of psychology, which speaks enough about the credibility and the
reputation that they hold. The interests existing within this information prove to be quite clear
and distinctive because it monitors the manners in which social networking sites gain a major
role in romantic relationships when it comes to defining attachment, partner surveillance and
even relational uncertainties.

Reliability Test: Audience
The article has been targeted towards couples in general who makes use of social
media in order to control their relationships or exert influence upon their partners at the same
time as well. The article also lays high amounts of attention upon college students and the
manners in which they define attachment styles and take part in relational uncertainties.
Reliability Test: Transparency
The article presented here is extremely transparent and it shows how the use of media
in relationships has increased severely due to the arrival of modern facilities such as texting,
social media and other technologies that actually offer pervasive and convenient accessibility
to others. The article is highly transparent because it points out how social media platforms
are actually fulfilling the monitoring goals of the partners in a couple. Couples today are
using their information seeking strategies in order to learn more about each other.
Reliability Test: Objectivity
The article presented by Jesse Fox and Katie M Warber can be considered as highly
objective as it dives into the realms of social networking sites, romantic relationships and
monitoring, relational uncertainties, and attachment theories as well. Detailed surveys were
also conducted in order to understand the levels to which surveillance activities were
executed as researchers wanted to measure partner monitoring on the platforms of Facebook.
The results have been clearly portrayed with factual numbers that cannot contain a biased
touch.
Reliability Test: Currency

This article has been presented in the year of 2013 which means that the information
can be as old as six years. The data and information presented here might turn out to be old,
but the extent of research conducted and relevant quantifiable data presented here can
actually help to a great extent when it comes to fulfilling the topic. A lot of specific details
and insights can be procured easily leading to the high grounds of clarity and a profound
perspective.
Overall Assessment of the source
This article is profoundly rich with valuable data and insights governing the various
manners in which social networking sites are actually turning out to be a source of tension
and a source of information between partners in a couple. The reasons as to why individuals
engage in such inquisitive behaviors have been highlighted and actual data along with
surveys have also been conducted in order to support the conclusions and the results.
Attachment theory has been identified as an effective framework for understanding the needs
of interpersonal electronic surveillance existing between romantic partners. The source is
extremely suitable for academic purposes due to the rich evidence and quantifiable data
presented.