Oversharing on Social Media: A Look at College Students' Habits and Beyond

 The Landscape of Social Sharing

Social media has become an integrated part of our lives, revolutionizing how we connect and share information. Self-disclosure, revealing personal details, is a cornerstone of social media use. People share photos, videos, and life updates for various reasons, including seeking social validation, expressing themselves creatively, and maintaining relationships.

The Line Between Sharing and Oversharing

However, the line between sharing and oversharing can be blurry. Oversharing refers to disclosing excessive personal information online, often to the point of discomfort for oneself or others. This study investigates how college students define and perceive oversharing, offering valuable insights into this complex behavior.

Understanding What College Students Consider Oversharing

The research explored what college students consider oversharing. Interestingly, two main themes emerged, according to  Brammer and colleagues (2022):

1. Frequency: Posting too often or too much was a common concern. Quantity seemed to matter - students felt bombarded by excessive updates from friends or acquaintances.
2. Content: Sharing too much information or private things was another central theme. Many students felt that oversharing sensitive details about medical issues, political views, relationship drama, or overly emotional experiences crossed a boundary.

Types of Content and Tolerance Levels

The study examined the types of content students associated with  oversharing(Brammer et al., 2022) : 

• It also investigated tolerance for oversharing and its consequences, including medical issues, political views, relationship details, and overly emotional statements. 
• The research suggests that some college students are intolerant of oversharing and may unfollow or unfriend those who do it excessively. 
• This aligns with previous findings that highlight the potential consequences of oversharing, such as creating a negative reputation or jeopardizing job opportunities.

Oversharing on Different Platforms: A Facebook Focus

Brammer and colleagues (2022) found that Facebook was perceived as the platform where oversharing occurs most frequently. This may be linked to Facebook's focus on connecting with a wider social circle compared to other platforms designed for more curated presentations of oneself, like Instagram and Snapchat.

New Research Directions: Broadening the Conversation

This research offers valuable insights but also highlights areas for further exploration. According to Brammer and colleagues (2022), here are some key takeaways that open doors for future studies:

The study's sample primarily consisted of Caucasian females. A more diverse sample could provide different perspectives on oversharing behaviors. Including students from various ethnicities, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds could reveal how cultural norms and social media usage patterns influence what constitutes oversharing.

Including qualitative methods like focus groups or in-depth interviews could delve deeper into oversharing, the emotional impact of witnessing it, and how users navigate boundaries on different platforms.

Studying other age groups is crucial as social norms for sharing likely differ across generations. How do baby boomers, Gen Xers, and adults beyond college define and approach oversharing? Understanding these variations can help us create a more nuanced picture of this phenomenon.

The rise of video-centric platforms like TikTok raises new questions about nonverbal oversharing. Can someone reveal too much about themselves through facial expressions, body language, or video background without saying a word? Exploring this new frontier of social media communication is essential to comprehensively understanding oversharing in the digital age.

Conclusion

This study illuminates oversharing behaviors among college students and highlights the importance of finding a balance between self-disclosure and privacy on social media. Brammer and colleagues (2022) state that further research, incorporating diverse samples, qualitative methods, and a more comprehensive range of age groups and platforms, can help us understand overshadowing across the ever-evolving social media landscape.

                               References

Brammer, S. E., Punyanunt-Carter, N. M., & Duffee, R. S. (2022). Oversharing on social networking sites: A contemporary communication phenomenon [Review of Oversharing on social networking sites: A contemporary communication phenomenon]. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100236