If you happen to’ve ever stared, perplexed, at a social media publish that wildly overshares, this text will present some elucidation: Oversharers don’t keep in mind that they overshared.
Researchers at Penn State tracked almost 7,000 tweets by 110 lively Twitter users over a month, and analyzed the information disclosed within the posts, reminiscent of location and relationship standing. “Folks don’t at all times keep in mind what they share on social media, which might be a extremely massive drawback,” says lead creator Jooyoung Lee, a doctoral scholar of data sciences and know-how at Penn State. Oversharers, particularly, don’t keep in mind the mixed info that they’ve shared over time, reminiscent of posting a photograph of their new dwelling and avenue and, months later, images from their day in Hawaii. This probably permits on-line on-line dangerous actors to “profile, monetize, manipulate and surveil,” says Lee. It additionally opens up the sharers to a bunch of privateness and safety dangers.
The researchers additionally analyzed oversharers’ demographics, and, surprisingly, discovered that no traits associated to earnings, age, race, or occupation correlated with oversharing. Oversharers are extra more likely to have decrease training ranges and be feminine. The researchers counsel that social media corporations create options that assist users observe their sharing behaviors.
