The Hidden Dangers of Oversharing on Social Media: Protecting Your Privacy in a Digital Age
A recent survey reported that more than 70% of users of social networks had disclosed data about themselves that they normally keep secret. This is a concept known as oversharing. Although social networks potentially help link people together, there are many risks that come with them.
Some of these risks include bullying and stalking, identity theft, and being approached by complete strangers. Many of us have a bad habit of sharing too much about our lives online. When you tell people where you are going, when you’re going, and what you’ll be doing, you are essentially handing out all of the information that someone with malicious intent needs to harass you or break into your home.
Likewise, never forget that once you post something online, it may be there permanently. Even if you have second thoughts and delete a photo or a sketchy comment that you made on a friend’s status, people may have already taken screenshots of it and shared it elsewhere. In this article, I will cover some of these points in a little more detail.
Understanding Oversharing on Social Media
Oversharing on social media is exactly what it sounds like — sharing too much information about ourselves that might not be appropriate or meant for total public consumption. This could mean anything from disclosing our every location, to a detailed analysis of a recent breakup, to an update on our financial status. The line may be different for everyone, but there's something about social media — or the internet in general — that can make it easy to forget you shouldn't necessarily share every ongoing thought or detail of your life with friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers who might be following you.
Other typical things to keep in mind when recognizing potential oversharing risks include not checking in at every single place you visit, not posting that you're on vacation at that very moment (making it very obvious that your apartment or house is completely empty...), and also withholding from publicly sharing too many personal details about specific situations that could come back to haunt you later on — metaphorically speaking, of course.
Side Note: Keep in mind that the longer potential overshared information stays on the internet — the longer online platform host companies may possibly keep that information stored on their servers forever. Even if you delete that information or photos a few days later, it could legally still be in the possession of the social media company you posted that content on (such as Facebook or Instagram). Therefore, when you post something online, think of it as a sort-of legally binding agreement with your online social profile viewers that they might now get to file that same photo away in their personal screenshot photo libraries.
The Privacy Concerns of Oversharing
Oversharing on social media is a catch-22—sharing too much can provide the ammunition that thieves need, and it's more difficult than you might think. Every time you post your location, your phone number, or even post about your vacation—you are sharing this with the world. Think about it—a thief knows you are not able to guard your house if you are halfway across the world.
The consequences of oversharing can get very real. And there are plenty of examples.
Like the woman who posted details of her whereabouts and daily routines online. She became a target for car theft when she posted pictures of her new car. In fact, a car ring tracked her whereabouts from the post and later stole her vehicle.
Remember—people post about their lives. Would you advertise every single detail about yours?
Sometimes, oversharing is not the point. The scary thing is when the stolen information is used against you.
Like the man who shared a social media post about his job promotion. It had the name of his workplace. The information was used by identity thieves who applied for loans in his name. There was a lot of credit history for the poor man to check out when he found out about it later.
The Psychological Effects of Oversharing
This need for acceptance drives a large amount of oversharing. In this digital, social-media obsessed age we are living in, many people become addicted to sharing their personal adventures and feelings for the world to see; not for their own documentation, but because they crave the attention they receive. At the roots of these problems (similar to the roots of many addictions) are most often low self-esteem and a disconnected view of reality. This type of behavior—though, like most bad things—can, yes, offer some sort of short-term reward. The atrocities come when negative impacts begin to hit mental health, longevity, humility, and what makes a good person... good.
Mental health takes a toll because the more someone shares (about themselves) to others, typically the more they care what people think of them. This makes sense, right? I believe it does because any time someone shares a concentrated piece about themselves, they are indirectly looking for acceptance. When they don't get positive feedback—anxiety rises. When they overshare personal information—privacy dissipates. The cycle is becoming clearer now. Self-esteem can be literally crushed by oversharing—you can't respect yourself if you're constantly condescending to fit the mold that keeps people satisfied.
Similarly, with friendships, how annoying is it when a friend of yours constantly talks about themselves? I believe that it is annoying when people are inconsiderate and needy when it ends up becoming tidbits of opinion or personal information. Like, let's say I need a little gossip every now and then, but every day is not every now and then. Personally, arrogance can truly run my patience with friends thin. Granted, oversharing can often lead to "slash and burn" communication because relationships are built—at whatever percent— from the idea of balanced relationships. If you are the only friend in a friendship—what gives?
How to Minimize Risks of Oversharing
Managing your privacy settings for every social media site you use can make a big difference in your overall internet safety. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all have different options for how public or private your posts are, who can comment or message you, and a variety of other settings. It’s worth taking the time to go through each one to avoid being bothered by people you don’t want to talk to. Think about making your account private or only allowing friend requests from certain people, and find out how to choose who sees which of your posts.
Everyone has done it—posted something they shouldn’t have. Before you put something out on the internet, though, you should really stop and think for a moment about what the post could do to you. People who are reading this for themselves who aren’t writers need to realize this, too. Everyone has thoughts. Everyone thinks that everything crosses their mind must be unharmed. This can have long-lasting effects on your relationships, your ability to attain/keep/ or even get considered for a job, or even develop a case against you. Make sure to be careful of what you say before you say it, or in this case, type.
There are many additional resources to consult if you are interested in finding more about what your rights to online privacy are, or ways you can help to increase your privacy. Check out a few of these websites: Electronic Frontier Foundation, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, among others. Both of these are really helpful options. Take the time to read through the list, as there is a lot that you can take away. There are many other pages or groups on the internet that are devoted to helping protect your privacy in this day and age of the internet. I would recommend joining groups or checking out pages that devoted to helping and offering insight on how to help increase your privacy.
The Role of Social Media Companies
Social media companies are the gatekeepers to a lot of personal data, so they play a crucial role in our mix when it comes to oversharing. Many platforms have implemented features to help tackle this issue directly—primarily, customizable privacy settings. Users can now choose who gets to see their posts and personal information with various "friends only" privacy measures. Some platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, even allow "private" accounts that further limit who can see posted content.
This has been an important step in making it possible for users to intuitively manage their online personas.
Furthermore, many social media companies have evolved policies that stipulate how your data should be handled. As users of these platforms, we don't have the same degree of transparency as we would if we were using an open-source platform. Many of these policy documents are open to interpretation in some respects, which is something we still understand too little about.
Social media privacy and the future of oversharing
In the future, we are likely to see AI-driven tools that tell us when we're about to overshare. Or perhaps prompt us when our settings need to pivot towards more stringent privacy measures.Indeed, as users become more aware of the various issues associated with oversharing, those platforms that offer much more robust privacy settings are likely going to become an important go-to. In that respect, those platforms that offer an OAuth service (which allows you to take your profile—and as much of your data as it's possible to download—to another service) as part of larger service package will be very well-placed. In the meantime, though, there's an interesting conversation to be had around those issues.
In today's digital age, it's tempting to share your life online. But too much "sharing" can increase your risk of problems such as identity theft and cyberbullying. It can also invite a host of unwanted attention from strangers (and not-so-strangers), potentially compromising your safety and well-being. Every moment of your life isn't meant to be shared—some things are simply meant to be private.
But personal safety isn't the only reason to limit the kind of information you share (and with whom): it's also important to maintain your personal boundaries. Develop the habit of occasionally "checking in" with yourself, as you monitor your use of social media. Take sensible precautions: periodically check your privacy settings to reaffirm to whom you are (knowingly) posting. Be selective when considering friend requests. And if you generally tend to be too revealing, try to think twice before posting.