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Shareaholic. I don’t like that word. Maybe it’s because I share a lot on social media, and I feel like this word implies I might have a serious problem if I do this.
Facebook, Instagram – social media in general – have really opened up our social worlds, haven’t they? For good and bad. I like it sometimes. And I am drawn to it a lot.
But I do like to share.
If anything, I hold back on my sharing. Sometimes, a thought or idea pops into my head, and automatically I think ‘status update!’ But then I re-think, and decide I don’t want to overwhelm people, or be considered an over-sharer.
Rather than just accepting I am a shareaholic and be done with it, I like to think about why I like sharing so much. These are some thoughts I had.
1. I am a social person
My first memory involves making friends. All strong memories have something to do with friends. I like people. I enjoy listening, collaborating and sharing with people. I do. I like the feedback I get from people when I share things. And I am not just talking about the digital kind of sharing. I like people, even in real life.
2. I feel like someone or other might benefit from this
When I have a thought I deem share-worthy, I think, ‘Who will benefit from this?’ Will my mother-in-law in Austria enjoy seeing this photo of her grandchildren? Will my mum be interested in this? Will someone enjoy doing this particular craft project, or reading this particular book to their children? Will this idea resonate with someone, somewhere out there?
If I think, ‘Yes – yes, I think someone will benefit,’ then I share.
3. Sharing is my reflection
I was given a diary for my seventh birthday. I told my diary all about my birthday party, the fights my brother and I had, and about what I loved about school. I kept a diary until I was about twenty – then I gave up. It was too depressing – going over and over my thoughts. Rejigging them. Overanalysing situations. Making myself crazy. Giving up was good for me.
But I turned my need to share onto people. And then eventually onto the blog, and social media. Sharing was/is a healthy way for me to vent. As I write, my thoughts unravel, then crystallise, and look somehow more beautiful than the tangle that existed in my head.
4. Sharing is permanence
I think the main reason I share on social media and the blog though is to give a certain permanence to my existence. I have a feeling that if something happens, or a particular child says something sweet, or I have a particularly interesting thought, I need to cement it in words – not just myself, but for others.
Because if someone else heard it, then it somehow becomes more real.
Does that make sense?
Maybe I am an ‘oversharer’ or a ‘shareaholic’ for the same reasons that a person makes art. Or someone writes a book. There’s a sense of legacy if someone else can appreciate, or at least hear our ideas in some way.
Anyway, I am reclaiming the name sharer. I am a sharer. Not an oversharer. Or a shareaholic. From my perspective at least, sharing is a positive thing. As long as what I share is positive. And I try to do that.
Are you a ‘sharer’? Why do you enjoy sharing? Or not sharing?
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