The growing use of the Internet is causing people to overcome their inhibitions and overshare everything online, a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research. What we post comes back to haunt us in the future, warns the author, Russel Berk, a professor at York University.
Of course, the famous sharing or notifications are nothing new to humanity. However, online, the urges to share more and more are really many. More and more gadgets that one always carries with him, such as the smartphone, contribute to this sharing not only of more personal opinions but also to a wider audience (“Public”)
Blogging is based on publishing and sharing posts. On social networking sites like Facebook, users are invited to share (post, share, like) what they think, and YouTube to broadcast themselves online (its motto is “Broadcast Yourself”). On the network, we comment, rate books, movies, restaurants online, participate in discussion forums and online stores with our own names. The possibilities for sharing something else are endless, and many of the most popular sites and smartphone apps revolve around sharing what we do (photos, videos, messages).
Hollywood celebrities often apologize for tweets and posts online, or they overcome their inhibitions and publish provocative photos without a second thought. Recently, Geraldo Rivera, shared a semi-nude photo of himself on Twitter, Alec Baldwin was called out for a controversial homophobic tweet, and Mike Wallace was called out for his views on homosexuality. Meanwhile, everyone else has made it a routine to post personal nude or provocative photos online.
While few people meet us in person, the number of potential viewers of our digital selves approaches infinity, the author explains. These posts can become a nightmare, he argues, when we look for a job, apply to a school, or start a relationship in the future. The professor is referring to the so-called “online disinhibition effect” and a tendency to reveal more of our mistakes and omissions online than we would face-to-face. Thus, we overdo it with our excessive postings until the time comes when we regret it, he seems to warn in conclusion.
