An article today on Gawker claims that "old people are the new Facebook oversharers." While reading this article, and the comments left by readers, many of which cited examples of oversharing elders, I couldn't help but wonder if these "oversharers" were oversharing because of their new outlet to do so, or if these individuals were the types to overshare in their everyday lives.
Oversharing is not a new phenomenon. Everyone has had experiences with people who sometimes say too much. But perhaps with sites like Twitter and Facebook we not only have a more vast outlet for such comments, but are bringing about a new breed of "sharers." Therefore, I wonder, can you tell a lot about a person by what they say on Facebook, or our we just obtaining a more intimate look at their lives because of this digital medium? Honestly, I don't know the answer to this question. I don't know if my Facebook, and what I share, reflects how people see me in everyday life. I think one of the main differences is that I let everyone access this information about me, which I might try harder to control in my everday life. CBS gives some suggestions of why people may overshare online in this article. But this still doesn't answer my question, and even after perusing some psychological literature, I still can't find the answer. Overall, I still want to know what types of individuals overshare on the Internet, and how it reflects their real-life personalities.
