We can connect with others with the tap of a button. Instagram, Facebook and other social media apps allow us to share information and pictures with our friends and followers.
But in some cases, information is shared too frequently. Many of us have that friend who posts nine pictures on Instagram in less than an hour or know of someone with a 60-second Snap story. Or we know of someone from back home who posts 11 status updates about their trip to the gym. While it's great that we have the means to share things through social media, it doesn't mean we should share everything at once.
I'm just as guilty of over-sharing as those described above. Most of my Instagram shows pictures of my dog or cookies I've baked, and my Facebook posts are mostly shared articles from Buzzfeed and MTV. As much as my friends must love seeing those, I'm sure they're sick of seeing the same things on a daily basis.
With social media, there should be a balance. Posting something every once in a while doesn't overwhelm your friends and followers with the same content. But posting an abundance of content or irrelevant information on a daily basis can cause friends and followers to stop looking.
The best way to stop over-sharing is to find the right balance for posting. Rather than post several photos or statuses about the same thing or event, do it once and leave it be. Instead of posting several pictures of the same event, wait until after the event and post one good photo that sums it up. Or post a collage and let the content speak for itself.
Another way to reduce your posts is to sign out of your accounts. It will cut down on the temptation to post several pictures a day. It will also reduce the amount of time you spend on these apps and allow you to focus on other things like class and seeing friends.
I think the reason why we over-share is because we're worried about what others post. We see how many likes someone else's status has or how many followers another friend has and feel like we have to compete. Stop worrying about what others post. Who cares if your friend posted a picture from the same event and got more likes? That doesn't make what you posted less relevant. It just means they have more followers. If you only post things to get likes on social media rather than to share with friends, then are you posting for the right reason?
I've started posting once a week instead of once a day and noticed I'm not as dependent on social media as I once was. Rather than worry about who posted what on their accounts, I've been able to focus on myself and talking face-to-face with friends instead of relying on their accounts for information.
Rachel Sprouse is the assistant online editor with The Plainsman. She can be reached at online@theplainsman.com
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