Oversharing on Social Media: Where Do You Land?

I have family and friends who span the spectrum in their usage of social media. Some people post several times a day, while others refuse even to have a Facebook or Instagram or Twitter account. They might deign to have a LinkedIn account, but only because their professional contacts demand it.

As for me, I’m somewhere in the middle. I don’t mind using social media, as long as I can use it on my own terms. I’m an author trying to promote my books, so I feel pressure to have a social media presence. That’s my primary motivation for maintaining this website and blog, and why I also upload my posts to my Facebook author page and to LinkedIn and other services as well. I occasionally post directly to Twitter and Instagram and Pinterest, but I can’t keep up with them all, and so I focus on this blog and Facebook.

I’m happy to promote my books in person also. Even though I’m an off-the-charts introvert, I don’t use social media because I’m afraid of dealing with people—I did it for years in my professional career. I’m comfortable making speeches and doing book signings and readings. I even enjoy these events.

But given my druthers, I’d just as soon post from the comfort of my home. It’s the most efficient way for me to get the word out about my books. I can reach far more people in less time with social media than in person. Social media connections are less personal but are more frequent. So I see social media as a critical component of my work as an author.

Yet, as an introvert, I also understand the desire for privacy. I struggle with how much to reveal about my personal life when I have no idea who might be reading what I write. As with everything else in life, it’s important to find a balance, to exercise moderation and discretion.

It’s also important to keep in mind why I am posting. In addition to using social media as a marketing tool, I use it to maintain connections with friends old and new (and to rediscover people with whom I had lost touch). I also use it to preserve family memories—a record of my past and present, so that my family will have it in the future.

I was struck by a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, “My Kids Will Thank Me for Oversharing Online,” by Daryl Austin (April 3, 2019), in which he wrote, “I post because I know that 10 years from now there won’t be a memory I’ll regret capturing.”

His kids are young, and he explained,

“I try to capture the games they play, the routines they maintain, every hilarious thing they say. I want to remember it all. I want to record every vacation, milestone and experience, whether momentous or mundane. More than anything, I want to help my children remember these early years of their lives.
“I see my Instagram feed (and corresponding photo books) as journals for my family to enjoy and use as invaluable links to their past. ”

Still, Mr. Austin included a caveat that he keeps his Instagram account private and only shares his kids’ activities with family and friends.

Some parents take the opposite approach. They don’t want their children’s images anywhere on social media. One friend of mine has been forbidden to post pictures of her grandson by the child’s parents. And there are evil people out there who misuse images.

For myself, I have decided not to post current pictures of my minor relatives, though I do post old snapshots of my children who are now grown. One kid doesn’t seem to mind; the other would really prefer that I didn’t post anything.

Given the speed of change in apps and cultural scruples, our use of social media requires constant reevaluation. Are our communications meeting our needs today? If not, how should we change what we post?

My answer to these questions: For now, at least, this blog will continue.

What’s your attitude toward social media?