Nobody Asked: 58 Times People Just Had To Overshare With Their Stories

The oversharers on this list are like that annoying friend who always has to make everything about them. Someone is getting married? You'll likely have to listen to a monologue about how they can't pick out what to wear for it. You're thinking of buying a new home? They'll likely start telling you about their own house-hunting problems before you even ask for any advice.

But there's also another type of oversharing: when people put too much personal information online. Nowadays, not everyone posts frequently on their social media accounts. According to the UK communications watchdog Ofcom, only 49% of social media users post, share, or comment. Compared to 61% in 2024, this signals a trend that most of us are becoming lurkers.

Some experts chalk up those changes to the content formats that have become more popular in recent years. A few years back, the most popular social media platforms were Twitter (now X), YouTube, and Facebook. People would share their thoughts in writing, comment on other people's posts (or videos), and engagement was driven by posts and comments.

With the rise of platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, people are commenting less and less. Just think about it: if you enjoyed a video, you most likely only "like" or "heart" it, maybe scroll through some comments and "like" a few, too. Seldom do people actually engage in commenting under video content anymore.

Another reason why people are becoming averse to posting something is paranoia. In an age where almost every celebrity gets flack for something they have posted online in the past, many people don't want to end up in the same situation. Folks worry about their professional lives as well as their reputations. "They are increasingly concerned about what they have posted online being there permanently and therefore potentially impacting on them later in life," Joseph Oxlade, senior research manager at Ofcom, told The Guardian.

But what exactly is considered oversharing on the internet? Of course, giving out your address, phone number, and social security number in a comment section is bananas. But how much of our thoughts, emotions, and personal life events can we share without it becoming oversharing? There's no definitive data that would suggest what is too much, but researchers have found out why people do it.

In a 2024 study with Iranian adolescents as a sample, researchers found that young people tend to overshare on social media because they're seeking attention, report high levels of anxiety, or have an unhealthy dependence on social media. Interestingly, they also found that boys tend to overshare more than girls.

It's not surprising that the youth are more predisposed to overshare online. They are learning how to navigate the online world, and for many, influencers and celebrities are the ideals of how one should conduct themselves on the internet. What they might forget is that influencers and famous people get paid to overshare things about their lives – that's their job. Adolescents, on the other hand, face many more risks if they post about their homes, day-to-day lives, and other sensitive information on the internet.

One phenomenon that is prevalent online is "Sadfishing." It's when people purposefully share something about themselves online in order to gain sympathy. The authors of the 2024 study did a similar one in 2018 and explored sadfishing. Their findings were similar: individuals who reported high anxiety levels, constant worrying, depression, and attention-seeking were more likely to engage in sadfishing.

Sharing in itself isn't bad; it's about what, how frequently, and in what context we share something online. How many of these oversharers did you find inappropriate, Pandas? Have you ever overshared something on the internet and gotten shamed for it? Let us know in the comments! And while you're there, don't forget to check out our previous publications about the "Nobody Asked" subreddit here and here!