Are We Sharing Too Much Online?

Social media is a dynamic development that has had an incredible impact in a relatively short amount of time.  Inherently the platform developed has provided a conduit for sharing and some may argue oversharing.  This freedom to share is the main point examined on this blog post and attempts to answer the question of are we sharing too much online?

Disclaimer – I use social media on a very limited basis.  I have a Google+ account that I created at some point and never used and a LinkedIn account that I use regularly for professional purposes.  As I mentioned in the first paragraph, a social media platform provides an initially judgement free platform to freely share thoughts, emotions, pictures, etc – notice I said initially.  I tend to believe this freedom is intoxicating which is what spawns the desire to share.  Face to face interactions can generate feelings of rejection and judgement upon the release of information where social media does not have that affect, at least initially.  From this point the shared thought, vulnerability, or memory starts to gather feedback, which ultimately generates positive responses, however, negative responses will always be generated.  Perhaps it is the tax for being able to share anything and everything on a public forum.  That is not a defense of negative, inflammatory, or otherwise offensive commentary, rather an observation of what tends to occur from open sharing.  As many have identified, the ability to communicate online without repercussion has revealed an ugly side of society that was otherwise masked.  Social media allows anyone and everyone with an opinion to have a platform to voice it, good, bad, or indifferent.

In terms of how much one discloses online and the threshold of what is too much I consider to be unique to the person.  What I am comfortable with sharing online versus someone else in this class I imagine will vary greatly.  I am a particularly private person only revealing what I feel is necessary to acquaintances while those very close to me will get a more candid window into my thoughts.  Perhaps that is why I never adopted social media.  Now, none of this is to portray that sharing is wrong, social media is evil, etc, rather just that I think it varies from person to person.  As Dean Obeidallah noted in his article “Are we sharing too much online?”, many gather inspiration through sharing the sharing of a diagnosis or loss of a loved one.  Obeidallah notes that he was initially surprised by the willingness to share and wondered if this was the right method in which to deal with a tragic event in one’s life.  Unfortunately, while often minimal, consequences are present for sharing online and as social media matures and we grow with it, we as a society will be better aware of the pitfalls it can pose.

Before I end this blog post, I feel the need to defend myself from the title of bitter curmudgeon title who hates anything and everything social media related.  That is certainly not the case as social media has done an incredible amount of good for causes that I am passionate about.  I realize the power it has to help people heal and move on from difficult situations, however, I am fully aware of the power it has to harm.  The freedom to share unabashedly is a powerful, liberating one but one that needs a bit of caution, cognizance, and forethought.