Oversharing on the Internet What is privacy in a time where everything is known?

Clelia Frondaroli Head of Comment

The release of Lewis Capaldi’s new music video

‘Wish You The Best’ in the last week has brought about emotional reactions, heartfelt support and apparently, a lot of tears amongst the general public. However, a quick scroll through the Youtube comments section suggests that the video also brought about an onslaught of comments which openly recount intense and deeply traumatic life events in the most minute detail.

Whilst the sentiment is deeply moving; the idea of showing gratitude towards an artist or song that has helped someone through what is clearly a very difficult time, it is interesting to see how freely and transparently these details have been provided. This is not even to the artist themselves (as it seems highly improbable that celebrities are sat around reading the youtube comments of their own music videos) but rather the entire online community, where anyone has the ability to read (and have an opinion on) these intimate posts.

It could be suggested that youtube comments do have a sense of anonymity (no real names are required as part of the Youtube ID handle) however this is a phenomenon that has spread onto every online platform, not just Youtube. On TikTok, people frequently post videos narrating deeply personal (and, at times, slightly embarassing) stories, some of which may appear to be so mortifying that, as stated by comment editor Frances Marsh, ‘you would not be able to torture out of me’. Although these stories can be undeniably funny, what is it truly that possesses people to tell tales of breakups and car crashes, tampons and tax evasion in such an open and expressive manner?

One of these reasons may be linked to ideas of community and the intangibility of the online world. As Faima Baker, a writer at the Huffington post, suggests, posting things and sharing things online can bring about a sense of a shared connection, where people can relate to, and offer condolences for whatever the commenter (or creator) has decided to post. As seen through the youtube comments underneath Lewis Capaldi’s video, one man’s (seemingly unrelated) tale about his run-in with the police brought about comments of support, and criticism against the current system of police enforcement. Although stopping short of actually confessing to a crime (however that too appears rife in particular youtube comments), this man was able to receive a

On TikTok, people frequently post videos narrating deeply personal (and, at times, slightly embarassing) stories ’ sense of catharsis and connection with others that had shared shockingly similar experiences. Furthermore, in a space where more than 1 billion videos get viewed each day and new ones uploaded countless more times, there is no guarantee that people will see what you post, let alone remember it. Perhaps then, the intangibility of the internet has meant that it has become a vast online diary, where so many voices are lost in the clamour of videos, posts and images which are uploaded everyday, that only a few (truly outrageous) stories really ever have the chance to be told.

Lastly, in an age where every website you go on is tracked, location tagged and stored to be sold onto third parties, perhaps then the idea of privacy altogether is simply overrated. With platforms such as Tiktok, Facebook and Instagram being accused of ‘aggressive data harvesting’, to some it is easier to openly confess to everything rather than being found out