Too Much Sharing. Not Enough Caring
There are lots of apps and products and I’m sure more are coming that encourage us to share our lives. We can tweet something, blog about it, post on our Facebook wall about it, take a picture and document it with Instagram, make a Pinterest board about it and then go somewhere and tell everyone where we are with Foursquare. The list goes on and literally potentially every step of the way while I was doing something I could share it. If, in fact I did this, I wouldn’t be getting much done because after every action I would be posting about it. So where is the line?
Why do people share in the first place? Is it an egotistical thing? Do we just want feedback and “likes” and to be seen as “cool” from our friends. I think the core of it is that we all just want to feel loved. Getting feedback makes us feel like others care about what we’re doing and are interested in it. That basic sense of belonging is intrinsic to humans.
However, what I quickly realized from tweeting and blogging is that no one really pays attention. Sure my friends might see a few things I post but the majority of it goes unnoticed by many if not all. So why keep doing it? I know personally, I check in with Foursquare mostly because for record keeping.
What was that lunch place I went to two months ago?
Without Foursquare I would have a hell of a time figuring it out. Screw the points and mayorship, its great for keeping records. Same with pictures and Instagram, its fun to look back on what I’ve done. If social interaction stems from that, then that makes it even more satisfying aka I feel a little bit loved.
My original question remains, where is the line to sharing? Technology should be an assistance, not a hindrance or interference. Personally if I’m really really having fun doing something I probably won’t have time or even think about taking out my phone to document it. I’ll be living in the moment and keep having fun. As there are more and more options to share I’ll probably share some things, but I define my line by making sure that I live in the moment and be sure to enjoy it. Besides, who is really paying attention to what I’m sharing anyway?