“Fake” vs “Over-Sharing” - Where’s the Line?

Ciao lovelies! Today I’ve got an opinion post for you all, that might ruffle some feathers, so I encourage you all to read through the whole thing before commenting/forming an opinion about my opinion. I have a tendency to be long-winded so I might take a while to get to the point sometimes, but I promise it’s there, the point will be made.

That being said, let’s get into the point I want to make today. Today I want to discuss the cultures online of “Fake” vs “Over-Sharing”. To begin, let me explain one major thing- I don’t believe that people are being “fake”- yes, even if they’re photo-shopping or whatever. I don’t care. People are not “fake” just because they don’t share every little detail of their lives on social media.

I really dislike this culture we’ve built where people feel pressured to either share everything or nothing on social media. If people don’t share everything, then some people might call them “Fake.” If someone shares everything, people might call them “dramatic” or “attention-seeking.” Why isn’t there a healthy middle?

Our society seems to have issue with the idea of Privacy. Many out there think that just because someone puts themselves out there, they are open to being stalked, harassed, and bullied- but that should not be true. Just because I have a YouTube channel, am I asking to be harassed? No! That kind of thinking, where people are blaming those who use social media for the lack of privacy they receive, is a bit of victim-blaming.

But I am getting off on a tangent, sorry. Back to the original point. I feel that today’s society demands all or nothing from people online. And this can be especially harmful to young people who use social media, who are especially impressionable.

If someone who is younger, say High School age, feels they must share everything on Social Media- what happens when they over-share? What if they feel pressured into sharing personal life details to prove a point to “haters,” or what if they accidentally give away personal life details like their address?

I feel that as a society, we need to flip the way we see social media. Instead of taking an all-or-nothing approach, we should respect the privacy of others. If someone doesn’t want to share everything online, we should not demand the opposite. Nor should we call them “fake” for withholding details of their personal lives. At the end of the day, these are PEOPLE behind the screen. These are individuals who have their own life, and it’s not our place to speculate or harass them about it. It’s not our job as a society to police what people want to post- we shouldn’t be shaming someone who wants to stay private.

I also feel that we need to educate better on the dangers of oversharing. We need to teach the younger generations that what they share online stays there forever. That it can affect their ability to get jobs in the future. That it can follow them for a long time. Young people especially will need this knowledge. Education, in my opinion, is how to help the younger generations understand these things.

What is your opinion on this societal issue? Do you see this happening online? What is your take on it? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

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