Weak Ties and Strong Dependence: The Mechanism of Emotional Alienation in Young People’s Online Emotional Companionship

Journal: Region - Educational Research and Reviews DOI: 10.32629/rerr.v7i10.4848

Lipeng Zhao

Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Abstract

The in-depth integration of digital technologies has reshaped the paradigm of emotional communication among contemporary youth. As a crucial carrier for meeting young people’s emotional needs, online emotional companionship presents a marked tension between the relational form of weak ties and the psychological state of strong dependence. The persistent interplay of this tension can easily induce emotional alienation, which poses a potential threat to the healthy development of youth’s emotional socialization. This paper systematically examines the practical manifestations of weak ties and strong dependence in young people’s online emotional companionship, and further explores the triggering, evolutionary, core, and reinforcement mechanisms of emotional alienation.

Keywords

young people, online emotional companionship, weak ties, strong dependence, emotional alienation

Funding

A Study on the Formation Mechanism and Guidance Strategies of Online Public Opinion Group Polarization in New Era Universities (XGNH2024-K05)

References

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Copyright © 2026 Lipeng Zhao

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