Not Sharing and Over Sharing

Recently, Adele stopped a show in Italy to berate a fan in the audience who was recording the performance on a video camera, in defense of her real-time performance and those who were unable to attend the concert and not see Adele in “real time” themselves.

More recently (this past weekend), I took approximately four Snapchat videos during a concert I attended in addition to a handful of okay-quality pictures. I could say “I did it because other people were doing it” but really, I did it because I wanted to capture some of my favorite moments and share them with those who weren’t there, or those unfortunate enough to accidentally click my Snapchat story.

Now, approximately four Snapchat videos that are under ten seconds each are not as “bothersome” (I think) as someone recording an entire show, but they do have at least one thing in common: they are driven by the need to capture and share.

On my blog, and in real-time conversations, I am over-conscious of what I am sharing. Am I being constructive? Does the person on the other end care about what I’m saying? Are they bored? Am I bored? And so on. I don’t ask if I’m being neurotic, because I know I am. Ugh, I’ve already shared too much.

But of course, blogging is all about sharing, and even in a space (the internet) that is saturated with information, sharing is the only action that will offer you connections; with technology, knowledge, people, places, and so many other things. This seems like a widely understood concept, yet when individuals take photos and videos of their food, DIY projects, and the concerts they attend it’s too much. It’s unnecessary; just live! Just eat your dinner! Just put candles in Mason jars without having to tell anyone! Just enjoy the moment of a song, enjoy a performer sharing their emotional and mental moments with you! If there is a line between sharing and oversharing, where is it drawn?

Maybe it’s too complicated. BookBloggerList.com lists over fifty book-related blogs (I stopped counting at fifty), most publishing houses have a blog on their website, newspapers have arts related blogs, and I can’t count the number of blogs I’ve encountered through WordPress and Instagram. So much sharing can lead to duplicate information, personally irrelevant information, and feelings of an overwhelming nature. How can a line be drawn between just enough and over doing it when there are so many factors? Should a line be drawn?

Thinking about this makes my head want to explode, and that’s my reason for sharing this rambling string of thoughts: release. I needed to release it into cyberspace for you, readers, in case you need something light or different to think about today; and I needed to release it for me, because my thoughts on sharing have taken up too much room in my mind lately. And not sharing, in this instance, is preventing me from focusing on anything else.

So let me know what you think about the oversharing “issue.” Or, share something that has been on your mind that you just need to get out and release. Keep sharing those meals you have made because you’re proud of yourself for cooking something other than spaghetti; keep writing those instructions for DIY projects because you never know who may be looking for a homemade headboard* or an American flag made out of a pallet; and keep taking videos of your favorite songs (within the lines of the law, of course) and share them with your mom, your friends who aren’t with you, and yourself the next day. Because sharing is also about living, reliving, discovering, and yes, sometimes about realizing you can do without it.

*I made a headboard via DIY tutorial and LOVE IT. You can find it at the She Said blog.