Is Sharing Always Caring? Blog Post #3

Hello Everybody,

When I think back to some of the first 'lessons' I was taught as a child the ones that come to mind are, 'don't cross the street without looking both ways', 'don't take candy from a stranger', and 'sharing is caring'. Sharing has been imbedded into our brains as being a positive thing since the very beginning, so naturally we are attracted to the idea of social media. Social media consists of many platforms allowing its many users to interact and 'share' personal content amongst on another. These platforms have been designed very specifically so that certain aspects release endorphins which result in making the user happy. However, there are times when these same aspects can cause unhappiness. Just as mentioned in the reading by Jessica Contrera, '13, right now', there are many parts of such platforms which bring on stress to its users. Applications like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, now include online social norms which determine ones status within the online community (which affects RL events and situations). The same 'likes' and 'comments' that can release endorphins and cause happiness, the lack of, can result in stress and anxiety. Younger generations take social media very seriously and can be deeply affected by other's actions within those platforms. So, this brought to my attention a question - is sharing always caring? Clearly not.

Thanks for reading!

Nicole Toushan

Comments

  1. caitlyn gordonOctober 20, 2018 at 10:37 AM

    Hi Nicole,

    Interesting post, growing up I was always taught to share with others, especially my siblings as they were considered my first "friends". Sharing on social media is not always something that should be done, as in my opinion it is not always a form of "safe sharing". I feel strongly about how social media can cause anxiety because many people do not understand how much it can really effect someones mental health.

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  2. Lauren CarltonOctober 21, 2018 at 2:14 PM

    I completely agree with this post!! The younger generation, including us as well as younger are taught to rely on these likes and comments and social media platforms to make us feel good about ourselves. I know a lot of friends who will post an Instagram picture in order to get themselves out of a poor mood. We could see that specifically in the reading on 13 year old Katherine Pommerening, her likes defined how she saw herself. To respond to your question, I agree. Sharing does not always mean caring, and in today's society individuals often share too much. A relevant issue that is happening right now in regards to too much sharing would be the fact that some youth are not being hired to specific jobs because of something they have shared on a social media that the employer does not think is appropriate.

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  3. IbbyOctober 21, 2018 at 2:59 PM

    Hi Nicole, I totally agree with your post and also found it funny. I think term 'sharing' has always been looked at as a good thing but now with social media people aren't have to intension of making other people feel good when posting online but rather to make themselves feel better. For example, on Instagram I personally do not care about what anyone else is doing or sharing about their life but rather want them to be interested in my life. The phase 'sharing is caring' still holds true but now the person who is sharing just cares about themselves.

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