I remember uploading a picture from my 18th birthday photoshoot on Facebook in 2009. Mobile phone cameras were not what they are now, so pictures were only taken in photo studios. I had to scan a hard copy to a desktop computer with an HP scanner, after which it was uploaded to my Facebook profile. Gosh! I feel so old whenever I think about this process. Good, simple days, nonetheless.
After a few minutes, I started getting likes and comments on my picture. My internet time at my school’s cyber cafe was almost up, so I couldn’t respond yet. Although, I saw who they were from. A short while after, I began receiving friend requests from people whom I wasn’t in close contact with- no thanks to the Facebook algorithm. These friend requests were from primary school classmates, friends of my friends, and acquaintances from church, secondary school and university at the time. I wasn’t friends with these people, but I accepted their friend requests because it’s social media after all. I deactivated my Facebook account six years later.
Social media is phenomenal and fascinating. I’ve met some of the most amazing people in my life through different social media platforms. I run an online jewellery store and conduct business transactions with people I’ve never met on social media. Connecting with people worldwide is undeniably amazing, but the flip side of it can be staggering.
Sharing or Oversharing?
I have no business knowing that a classmate from primary school who isn’t my friend got a new car last week. I don’t need to know that a girl whom I occasionally said hi to in church got married yesterday. Knowing that an acquaintance had lunch at a fancy restaurant this afternoon is irrelevant information if we’re being honest and realistic.
I miss the days when I didn’t know so much about the personal and intimate details of my favourite artiste’s life. At most, we had some information about whom they were dating or married to and what they were wearing, but it remained within those parameters. I miss the mystery.
We now live in a world where people have platforms to share their lives with others over the internet. But there’s a thin line between sharing and oversharing. When we focus too much on the personal details of others, we tend to overlook important aspects of a person’s identity or experience. Biases are formed, comparison sets in and even hatred or jealousy for that person might creep in.
Scrolling through your Instagram feed or checking your WhatsApp status updates bombards you with an overload of information. It’s a fact that collecting and processing large amounts of personal information can be time-consuming and overwhelming. The good part is that there are features on these platforms that enable you to control what you see and from whom you want to see specific content. Wishing people well from a distance is a thing.
Knowing what your friends are up to or watching vlogs of your favourite YouTubers is fun, entertaining and sometimes inspiring, but where do we draw the line? Are we just sharing or oversharing? Does knowing more, matter? Or is knowing less, best?
What do you think? I always love to read your thoughts so share them with me in the comment section below.
