ABSTRACT

People ‘overshare’ when they interact with others through the screens of computers and smartphones. Oversharing means to divulge more of their inner feelings, opinions and sexuality than they would in person, or even over the phone. Text messaging, Facebooking, tweeting, camming, blogging, online dating, and internet porn are vehicles of this oversharing, which blurs the boundary between public and private life. This book examines these ‘presentations of self’, acknowledging that we are now much more public about what used to be private. The book concludes with reflections on the impact of oversharing on identity, friendship, sexuality, family and democracy, and suggests steps people can take to re-establish the boundary between public and personal life.

chapter I|10 pages

Th anks for Sharing

chapter II|9 pages

Texting, Tweeting, and Blogging

chapter III|8 pages

Social Media

chapter IV|8 pages

Online Dating

chapter V|8 pages

Internet Pornography

chapter VI|7 pages

A Non-Pornographic Public Sphere