OVERSHARING

What Does Oversharing Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

Oversharing is the act of divulging too much personal information.

More Detail...

The term is commonly used in the context of online announcements (e.g., overly personal comments on Facebook, explicit photographs), but it can also apply to phone conversations and face-to-face encounters. Here are some examples of normal conversations with oversharing versions:

Normal Sharing	Oversharing
I've got an upset stomach this morning.	I've just pepple-dashed the toilet with last night's lamb curry and sweetcorn.
We just had a lovely cuddle.	It was Jane's time of the month.
We had a nice meal on the beach.	We had a medium-sized bag of chips, with two fishcakes, lots of salt and vinegar and a can of Cream Soda. Well, I had Cream Soda. John had a beer. Two, in fact. I didn't want a beer because it makes me fart.

In essence, oversharers establish a reporting threshold that is too low for the audience of their announcements. It is probable that thresholds lower gradually (and unnoticeably) as users become more comfortable with commenting online. The reaction to oversharing is often discomfort or disgust. Common verbal responses include TMI! (Too Much Information) or "Stop oversharing." In 2008, the verb to overshare was declared by Webster's New World Dictionary as its Word of the Year. Oversharing has given rise to other terms such as SHARENTING, which is the act of oversharing details about children.

Image for OVERSHARING

When I write OVERSHARING, I mean this:

Oversharing is the act of divulging too much personal information

Summary of Key Points

We have summarized the key points in the table below:

OVERSHARING
Definition:	Disclosing Too Much Personal Information
Type:	Slang Word (Jargon)
Guessability:	3: Guessable
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Examples of OVERSHARING in Sentences

Here is an example of OVERSHARING in a conversation:

• Interviewer: Do you have any questions for me?
• Mark: My farts are really smelly today, and I can't stop squeaking them out. Did you notice?
• Interviewer: Well, that concludes the interview, Mr. Jones. Obviously, that's too much information. Now please stop OVERSHARING!

An Academic Look at OVERSHARING

OVERSHARING is a gerund formed from the verb to overshare. It is a neologism (a new term) born from the now-common practice of sharing personal information on social media.

What Did We Say before Texting and Social Media?

Before the digital era, we may have said something like "divulging indiscreetly, uncouthly or vulgarly" instead of OVERSHARING.

Example of OVERSHARING Used in a Text

You might also like...