The Dangers of Oversharing Online
In a world where concerns about privacy and confidentiality have reached new heights, we, the people, have turned our fears of a metaphorical “Big Brother” into a reality for ourselves. How, you ask? Consider your last Facebook post or tweet. If you don’t participate in either platform, take a moment to look at what your closest 250 friends and family members are posting right now. In fact, you could likely befriend someone you hardly know on any of the social media sites and learn more about their life from random, often ridiculous posts than you would by knowing them your entire life. Even family members often discover more about their own kin by following them on Facebook than by living with them.
It’s almost ironic that while we strive to keep our private lives private, we seem to display our lives for the world to see. Between updating statuses every few hours that let everyone know exactly what you and your family are doing and instantly uploading pictures of every endeavor, you should ask yourself: Has your private life become too public? If so, chances are you are to blame.
The Consequences of Oversharing
The next question to consider is why you spend so much time invested in the idleness of other people’s lives. Does it really matter what people you hardly know—or in some cases have never met—are doing? Do you truly want to know the intricacies of their love lives, the trials of their marriages, or see a constant stream of pictures of their children? When a mom posts pictures of her toddler using the toilet for the first time with a caption like, “He’s finally doing #2 in the potty,” has she gone too far? If your college buddies are tracking their liaisons on an online platform, are they breaching some code of morality? And what about the rambling posts about people’s moods, thoughts of the day, complaints, and whining that constantly clutter social media feeds? Are they really that important?
Most people want to live and let live, carrying on with the normalcy of their lives without the risk of being judged or questioned. Yet, these same people are surprised when others leap to judgment or make quick assumptions based on self-imposed, overly personal posts that, in truth, are far too private to be made public.
It’s frightening to realize that levelheaded, smart, and often internet-savvy people, who understand how invasive the internet can be, don’t take a moment to consider what they are posting about themselves, their friends, their family, or their lives. Before indulging an emotion swirling in your head, pause to think about how sharing it online might impact your life. Is it something you’d want your boss to read? Would you want your children to stumble across it? Could it embarrass you or someone you love if they found it one day?
Recently, a mom blogger on a popular site posted about loving her son more than her daughter. Her post, intended to be honest and poignant while discussing deep issues like postpartum depression, sparked a backlash of judgment. At one point, she admitted she could “bear losing her daughter but could not bear the thought of losing her son.” Although she tried to save face by excusing her statement, the reality is that someday her daughter will find that post and read those words. When comments poured in, blasting her for her disregard for privacy and labeling her as unfit, unholy, and out of line, she defended herself with claims of creative freedom. But honestly, didn’t she go too far? Should she have been surprised by the reaction? Weren’t those thoughts and feelings private enough to remain that way, if not for her sake, then for her daughter’s? Isn’t this the kind of thing better discussed with a counselor? Using the internet as her conscience was a poor decision, one she will likely regret.
The worst part about making your life too public is that there’s no way to take it back once it’s out there. Beyond that, oversharing can create an unsafe environment for you and your family. Thieves, criminals, or malicious individuals may not be keeping track, but using the internet with such disregard makes life easier for those who wish to harm others. While it’s likely never your intention to post a picture, status update, or blog that could hurt you or your family, bad outcomes could still be your fault.
No matter how secure the internet claims to be, the moment you press “Enter,” you are robbing yourself of your own privacy. You are allowing people into your head and your life. You could be providing information to a criminal who might use it against you, and you will leave a lasting impression on the hundreds, thousands, or even millions who may stumble across your words or photos. Just as you would never show up to a job interview or your child’s school wearing ripped blue jeans and a paint-splattered shirt, you should never air your dirty laundry online without considering the public repercussions. Sadly, internet security and privacy settings mean nothing if you willingly sacrifice them for a few seconds of self-glorification from an online post.
