We all know ‘those’ people. They may be in our family. They may be in our circle of friends. They may even be some of your employees.
I’m talking about the ones who overshare on social media. You know, give you the minute-by-minute detail of their lives and those who post endless selfies.
Social media is a place to engage with each other and have fun – share memories, share good times and bad, share experiences. NOT share everything short of when you use the restroom.
Oversharing on social media has become a problem. People are using platforms as their online diaries, broadcasting their personal grievances and details of their children’s lives for the entire world to see. I am going to drop some truth on you right now. The world does not care what your Elf on the Shelf did every night. The world does not care what your kids got for Christmas or their birthday (aside from maybe your family). The world honestly does not care about every detail of your life. Harsh? Yes, but those most vested in your life and that do care will do so offline.
What happened to personal space and privacy?
Psychology Today addressed six reasons people overshare on social media a few years ago, however, the reasons still remain the same today –
- Anonymity – Some people can hide behind usernames and not use their real names.
- Invisibility – “It can be easier to say things from behind a keyboard when the other person (or people) aren’t looking at the poster.”
- Delayed Communication – You don’t have to deal with comments and messages immediately.
- Filling in the other person – There’s no body language to read.
- It’s not real – Much like the first two, people drop their inhibitions and become someone else.
- Lack of authority – People may disassociate someone’s offline identity with their online identity, causing them to blurt out…
