Sharing is caring — sounds cliché, doesn’t it? From a very young age, you’re encouraged to share your snacks with friends and lend them your stationery because it reflects kindness and humility, and develops good traits. As you learn this essential skill, you begin sharing your belongings and parts of your life, thoughts and personal experiences. That is when you make best friends.

There was a time, when people would happily spend whatever time they had with their friends at school or college, then come home and get busy with their lives. If it was necessary, just a call was made to share something exciting that happened in their life.

But over time, things have changed. With the rise of technology and social media, sharing has expanded far beyond snacks and school supplies to include highly personal details of your daily life, whereabouts, what you wear, and how you spend each moment. And there are hardly any calls made now to share things one-on-one. With just a click and a post, friends, acquaintances and the entire online world can see what you’re up to. You receive comments, messages, likes and shares and much more.

Social media platforms have become a central part of our lives. Sharing our experiences publicly — whether it’s a delicious meal, a travel adventure or a personal achievement — has become a norm. It is, of course, a wonderful way to stay connected with our friends and relatives, but sometimes you don’t realise that you have overshared — and this can come with significant costs. The type of content being shared online needs careful consideration and knowing where to draw the line between personal and public.

This article explores the potential risks of oversharing on social media, and provides you with practical tips on how to stay secure and avoid the temptation to post before you think.

The risks of oversharing!

When dining out, buying a new dress or a gadget, or just having an exciting moment, you might take a picture or write a post or story, add an update to your status and share immediately — a norm these days! But there are some who go even further by sharing their exact locations, family details and live updates.

This is just too much! Many of you don’t realise that cyber criminals, the people with bad intentions, are constantly on alert, and even a small mistake can put your and your family’s safety at risk. If you think this only happens in movies, remember that those stories are often inspired by real-life events. Sharing with close friends or trusted people in person was one thing, but now imagine you’re telling the whole world about it — and our world includes both good and bad people. There are villains out there, sitting behind their computer screens, searching for a prey. Do you want to be that prey?

Security threats

There are several risks associated with sharing personal information online. For instance, if you post about an upcoming vacation plan, mentioning the dates, location or even sharing photos of your trip preparations, as I said earlier, malicious individuals may take note because they are on the lookout for such vulnerable situations. Your house is empty because you’re out of town, it becomes an ideal time for them to strike. Or there can be someone waiting for you at your vacation location, with some scheme to scam you at a place where you don’t know many people. Additionally, oversharing personal details can make you vulnerable to phishing scams and other cyber-attacks.

Emotional and mental health

One of the most discussed topics related to social media is how it affects one’s mental and emotional health. Many teens, and even adults, experience depression, anxiety and stress. Often, without intending to, you might see updates or status posts from your acquaintances and start thinking about your life, or discussing them with your family members, saying, “Did you see what he or she is doing?”

For a brief moment, those status and updates, and the lives of others become the main topic of your conversation. Not everyone can brush things off lightly, and this can linger in your mind, cultivating negative emotions like inferiority, jealousy, envy or sometimes superiority. These feelings are often rooted in the falsely created, idealised versions of others’ lives which they shared online. It distorts reality and ultimately impacts your mental well-being and of many others like you.

Social and professional consequences

Perhaps you still might not pay much attention to your oversharing, but consider that everything you post online today can have long-term consequences for you and your family, impacting your professional growth as well. What you share today, for instance, your lifestyle choices, beauty standards, opinions or comments might seem harmless or relevant today, but over time, these posts could be viewed differently and even deemed inappropriate or controversial. This shift in perception can harm your reputation and even affect job prospects.

Did you know that social media profiles are often reviewed by the employers before hiring! Oversharing can have real-world repercussions.

Relationships strain

Sometimes, you might post something that isn’t favoured by your close family and friends. Some may dislike what you did or are doing. Misunderstandings can develop, and you may feel that some of your closest friends or even cousins, don’t feel as connected to you as you anymore, making you feel left out.

Be mindful of your relationships, especially with those closest to you. Remember, the attention from the outside world is temporary, they’re only interested as long as you’re sharing exciting content. But your closest ones and family will always be there for you, they won’t make you feel isolated or alone, or hurt your feelings.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 16th, 2024