It seems to be a daily occurrence to see oversharing on social media. I don’t think that many people understand the damage that can be done through oversharing.
Prior to posting anything about my kids online I ask myself, “is this something that will embarrass them in the coming years?” I also ask myself, “am I posting this out of frustration?” If the answer to either of these questions is yes I do not proceed with the post. A few weeks ago an acquaintance posted “I am about to beat my child” she then went into a rant about everything the child had done wrong. This post was likely made out of frustration. If this post is seen in the future by her child it could lead to embarrassment and resentment. Not everything needs to be shared.
I love that people are in love. However I do not love seeing the naughty pictures or seeing the steamy notes that you write to each other in a public social media forum. I am talking about notes that go far beyond, “my husband is sexy and I love him” and photos that are very suggestive in nature. These type of pictures and notes should be kept private between the couple. Remember not everything needs to be shared.
I don’t really care if it is your “time of the month.” This really does not need to be shared. Photos of vomit and diarrhea filled diapers do not need to be shared. A simple “xx is sick today. Hoping it passes quickly will suffice.”
Social media is so easy, its actually too easy. Its easy to post, and it is easy to post way more than necessary. I think most people post with good intentions. However, sometimes they move from good intentions and being informative to oversharing. I guess I have grown tired of the gross oversharing. I want post that inform but I also want post that offer a real connection to the poster. I am tired of the status updates that are just posted to get a reaction. Its like the poster is screaming, “hey look at me.” I tell my students that once posted it is out there forever. Things you post now may come back to haunt you in the future.
I know that I am not innocent in oversharing. I do make efforts to prevent oversharing. When I find I have overshared I do my best to correct the problem. Please forgive me if you have found my status updates to cross the lines into oversharing.
Lets just remember before hitting the “share”, “post” or “tweet” button—- not everything needs to be shared.