We live in a strange era, one where privacy no longer seems to exist.  People share so many things on social medias that they often end up telling everyone details that they would never say to them face to face.  A quick scroll through someone’s Facebook and suddenly you know what they having for dinner, where their grandmother lives, why they dislike gerbils and what shade of lip-gloss they plan to wear next week.  What has happened to our privacy?

Back in the days people used to be much more private, perhaps because back then it actually took a lot of effort to get any sort of information out to other people.  A man had to stroll out of his house and walk or ride on horseback for hours, sometimes even days, just to let his relatives know about the death of a family member.

Then came letters and telegrams, but even those took time to be delivered.  Now all this man would have to do is pick up his cell phone and dial the number of whatever relative he wanted to speak with, zero effort needed.

Today it is almost too easy to put any sort of information out there.  A few clicks and you can let everybody know about that amazing new halter dress you bought on sale yesterday.  And why should you not share your joy with the world?

First of all, sorry to break it to you but nobody really cares.  Most people are not at all interested in hearing about your amazingly successful dress shopping.  They have their own lives and knowing that you bought some dress does not in any way affect them.  In fact according to an anonymous source, “having [their] Facebook filled with unimportant details about other people’s lives is extremely annoying.”

This leads to the question, why do people nowadays tend to overshare?  Thalia Johnston (10) suggested that “people overshare on social media because they see it as an opportunity to get attention.”  Another source mentioned that “oversharing has become a habit for people because it is so easy to do it with the technology available nowadays.”

We have traded our privacy for new convenient technologies.

Antonina (Tosia) Lekawska