The realization that people were using Twitter extensively, and were very closely monitoring their tweets, reinforced the strategic posturing and performance aspects of relationships that were being maintained through social media. Although monitoring was framed positively, as a way for people to build social ties with others and remain connected to the network, it also engendered anxiety and suspicion. Given these downsides, why did people share so much personal information? How did people navigate privacy in this culture of sharing and surveillance? I found that most people in the scene framed this information sharing not as a disregard for privacy, but as a shift to publicity.

Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, loc. 601