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Oversharing Is the Norm

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Digital Intimate Publics and Social Media

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Communication for Social Change ((PSCSC))

Abstract

In digital spaces, there is constant negotiation of what it means to be a digital subject. Oversharing is a process of this negotiation. The notion of oversharing as simply being public with what ought to be private is limiting and neglects the complex social relations and desires being enacted in the process. In this chapter, Kennedy draws on a qualitative analysis of 22 semi-structured interviews with users of social media platforms. Upon examination of the data it becomes clear that oversharing, while certainly a potentially fraught process, may also be framed as productive. Oversharing fosters new opportunities for intimate connections. Oversharing also prompts discussion on how to live digitally, and evidences the negotiation process of social norms in digital spaces.

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Correspondence to Jenny Kennedy .

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Kennedy, J. (2018). Oversharing Is the Norm. In: Dobson, A.S., Robards, B., Carah, N. (eds) Digital Intimate Publics and Social Media. Palgrave Studies in Communication for Social Change. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97607-5_16

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