A survey by Intel shows we think everybody else shares too much information about themselves. Source: news.com.au
THE vast majority of Aussies believe we share too much information about ourselves online.
LOL. And they'll probably tell you all about it on Facebook.
Intel surveyed 910 Aussies in their "Mobile Etiquette" survey and found that 92 per cent of Australian adults thought people - other people - shared too much of their lives online.
The biggest pet peeve of more than half of Aussie adults - 56 per cent to be exact - was people who posted details about their everyday lives on sites like Facebook and Twitter.
At least 86 per cent of the 880 people that were surveyed worldwide said they wished people would give more thought to how people perceived them when posting that all important Instagram photo of the organic vegan meal they were about to consume.
But if people are so concerned about oversharing, why do people continue to do it?
Psychophysiologist from Sydney University, James Heathers, told News Ltd that while a lot of adults maintained that the "fantastic egocentrism of Generation Y" was the driving force behind oversharing, it was not limited to young people.
"Certainly I have mature friends myself who think it's absolutely crucial that I know they ate a panini," Professor Heathers said.
"What that says about them, I'm not sure."
Professor Heathers said much oversharing can be caused by a combination of partial or complete anonymity, reduced consequences and social distance.
The continued popularity of confession website, PostSecret where people write in with anonymous confessions on postcards which are scanned and put on the internet, is an example of this "online disinhibition effect".
"Why is such a site, which changes nothing whatsoever practical about the confessor's life, necessary in the first place?" Professor Heathers said.
"The only thing that anonymously confessing to the entire world solves is the ability to be understood - even if it's understood by strangers."
Of course, the researcher also noted that much self disclosure online was not anonymous.
"I think everyone has at least one friend who is curiously driven to report every detail of their life as a kind of 'auto-paparazzo'," he said.
The study found Australian teenage girls were the most likely group in the world to share pictures. And Australian men were the most likely to share false information.
Interestingly, the study also noted that 86 per cent of the 256 teens surveyed in Australia recognised the lasting impact of oversharing online.
Perhaps there is hope for humanity after all.
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