There are so many warnings raised, but people have ignored the signs and gave birth to the oversharing culture and the trending acronym TMI.
What is oversharing?
Wisegeek defines it as sharing too much information that readers don't necessarily need to know. For example, posting on Facebook that you're sad is okay. But saying that you're sad because your boyfriend cheated with a classmate and did some promiscuous things is oversharing.You can tell your friends offline, but please don't post it on Facebook and make people uncomfortable. But this is just an example, and the problem has a bigger scope.
Oversharing means users don't consider the reaction of those who'll read what they wrote. Oversharing means people are writing things only friends and family are comfortable knowing. In the oversharing culture, people don't think twice how it will affect them and those involved in their posts. It can cause damage not only to the poster but to the people close to them as well. Do you know that 1 in 5 divorce cases is largely due to Facebook and other social networking activities?
The internet made a lot of people more courageous than they are in real life. Thus, trolls abound in every corner online. The security blanket the internet offers makes people safe and invincible behind their computer monitors.
They feel like they can post anything they want online and no one can touch them. But if they learn that numerous crimes happen because of the online social activities of individuals, they might reconsider posting their phone number in a message board.
 |
| Image Credits: wallblog.co.uk |
Blogging is another way to overshare. It can get pretty personal for some bloggers. However, they must give a thorough consideration before posting photos and divulging personal information on their posts. If they feel comfortable sharing photos of their vacation on their blogs, their friends probably aren't.
So before posting the full name and photos of friends and acquaintances on their site, they must first ask for permission. It may seem harmless, but some people have a clear line on how much personal information to put in the internet.
Internet Related Crimes
Don't make it easy for stalkers to stalk you. To think twice before posting is the best way to be on guard. Posting your plans for the weekend may simply mean informing others of your activities, but it can mean differently for stalkers and criminals.79% of burglars use Twitter, Facebook, Twitter, and even Google Maps to monitor their victims. 54% of burglaries are due to individuals posting their whereabouts on social media sites, alerting burglars of the lessened securities of their homes.
It gets worse by the minute. The only way to stop oversharing is by informing others that it can cause riffs in relationships and encourage crimes. Posting personal details of your life isn't always bad, it can be inspirational at times. But just to be on the safe side, internet users must draw a line on how much they must information to divulge in the world wide web.
Paige Donahue