Oversharing Online

 

Image by Firmbee from Pixabay

To be honest, I'm naturally a rather private individual and, thus, not a very online-y/social media person. I was also cautioned at a young age about the dangers of putting too much personal information out online, of scams, and of catfishing, etc., for which I am grateful. However, I have dabbled in some social media sites, which leads me to my first prompt:

Is there an ideal number of “friends” or connections individuals have on Facebook that can improve their mental health?



I believe so. It can be nice to have a lot of “friends” on Facebook in order to keep up with the acquaintances we knew/know from high school, college, and other places. However, the connections that truly provide the most meaning and boost mental health are going to be those few friends and family with whom you actually have an interpersonal relationship in real life. I would say that number is much closer to ten than the hundreds of “friends” that seem to be a more popular number on Facebook. 



What factors might influence whether Facebook has negative influences, like links with depression, versus positive results, such as boosts in self-esteem?



The factors that influence whether Facebook has a negative or positive effect on a person, I think, are based mostly on the internal characteristics of the user. For example, it takes great emotional strength and self-confidence to face the seeming unending perfection, beauty, and excitement of other people and their lives without getting depressed and unsatisfied with your own. It, also, takes personal awareness and fortitude to be able to realize how a certain Facebook friend’s consistent oversharing or political posts raise one’s blood pressure and elect to “see less of” or “unfollow” their posts. By the same token, whether Facebook boosts the self-esteem of the user is also a mental and emotional choice. One must actively choose to focus on the people and posts that have a positive effect on your wellbeing and life.



An informative presentation that goes a little deeper this perspective—as well as offers some professional suggestions about how to turn your social media scene into a more positive place—is this TedxTalk by Erin Admin at TEDxCherryCreekWomen from YouTube: