Privacy vs. Oversharing
(photo by Cookie the Pom on Unsplash)
I am waist deep in edits for my fifth book, so I didn’t really feel motivated to write something new this week, until now. I began reflecting on the things people commonly share on social media and suddenly realized that privacy doesn’t really seem to be the number one concern out here. Quite the opposite — everyone seems to be oversharing all the time!
For starters, there’s all the stuff I see in people’s bios — their pronouns and sexual preferences, their relationship status, their hobbies, their books (which I applaud) and, most surprising to me, their Meyers-Briggs personality labels. I didn’t grow up with this test as part of my self-identity, but this generation has adopted it whole-heartedly. I am probably mostly ISTJ as a team leader, but always worked as a teacher in an ESFP role, but more importantly, why would anyone else care?
I am constantly amazed at the selfies people post nonchalantly of their intimate body parts, their kids, their home life, even their workplace. To me, this is way over the line of personal safety. Are they really concerned about their privacy if they are sharing half-naked photos? To me, this seems like pure attention seeking to raise their clout. I don’t understand why they aren’t more fearful for their safety. I have also known friends who have been caught dissing their boss on social media and had to face the wrath at work. Another bad idea.
So, it would seem to me that while many social media users cry wolf about a constant invasion their privacy, they also have a tendency to overshare. Where is the happy medium? I suppose it’s learning to manage your account settings in the most careful way and keeping your passwords fresh and protected. The truth is, we are all fairly accessible now and we just have to live with it. Personally, I always tell myself that if anyone is really interested in my life, they have way too much time on their hands because it’s pretty boring. They would be better entertained looking into someone rich, famous, or powerful.
Do you worry about your online privacy? Please share a comment below.
