Oversharing Online: Too much for too many

    Social Media has proven itself as a leader in the effort to keep a high-speed world connected. However, not all platforms or networks are the same and they most certainly serve different purposes. A shining example on how different two platforms may be can be found in a comparison of Facebook and LinkedIn. While Facebook markets itself as a way to keep friends connected and engaged in one another's life, LinkedIn is business focused and works hard to provide a professional platform free of the messy personal information so frequently released onto Facebook. Facebook encourages a broad and vast network of friends which further proliferates their messaging. LinkedIn takes a much less forceful approach as it encourages connections with like-minded people or businesses who have a vested interest in your skills or talents. Rather than focusing on large numbers of friends, LinkedIn takes it one step further and encourages less connections but more quality ones that can validate your work ethic and experience. The below infographic, produced by "Leverage" (Benson, 2019), illustrates in concise terms the differences between each of the primary social media "markets." The greatest benefits and drawbacks can only be identified after identifying the need that the platform is going to meet or fulfill. If a user's intent is going to be sharing weekend exploits, travel photos or opinions of a personal nature, Facebook's community is geared to host and receive that information. One of the big benefits to this information is it allows people to find like minded individuals and groups in order to share ideas. One major drawback to this platform would be the inherent need to consistently maintain a careful watch on the security of your profile and the people you are connected to. Having public and easily available access to one's profile can be a detriment to maintaining civility and appropriate discussion. While LinkedIn shares this quality, the audience and intent of LinkedIn tends to lend towards less divisive ideas. The benefit of this platform is obviously the networking and career benefit that may result from the connections that are made. 

    Because of the adverse effects of constantly being in the public eye and having to groom an online profile to portray an unrealistic image of constant well-being and happiness, I believe it forces people to internalize struggles of any kind. With platforms so pervasive in our society, people subconsciously tie their social media image with who they need to be when they are not "plugged in." This can lead to being afraid of letting emotions show through that are not positive or won't be received well. Social networking sites are uniquely suited to provide people with tailored content that proliferates an already existing way of thinking. Because of ties into web browsers and the ability to track a user's use through cookies, social media has the ability to provide content to people that amplifies schools of thought or further reinforces potential negative thoughts. So a few negative searches on Google while also logged into Facebook can result in user's getting curtailed ads for items in the same category. Rather than automatically providing user's with curtailed content, I believe social media platforms have the obligation to identify red flags in user searches and potentially tailor ads for counseling or therapy for healthy social media use. I liken this to the same thing Netflix does when it has continually played for extended amounts of time... "Are you still watching?" While most users joke that its an insult to their boring day of binge watching shows. There should be a similar way to remind social media users to take a break. Don't platforms have an obligation to ask "You've scrolled X amount of feeds and had X hours of screen time. Need a break?" The first minute of the below video (TedxTalks, 2017) highlights how dangerous social media can be because of the way it is built. Enjoy!

 

 

 

References: 

Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health?, TedxTalks, 22 June 2017, https://youtu.be/Czg_9C7gw0o. Accessed 11 Jan. 2022.

Benson, Laura, et al. “Social Media Comparison Infographic.” Leverage, 26 Aug. 2019, https://www.leveragestl.com/social-media-infographic/.