I shared my lowest moments on my Instagram story — I don’t regret it

Social media has turned oversharing into a performance (Picture: Joe Twigg Photography)

Years ago, only your diary or your actual close friends would know your deepest, darkest thoughts. Now, many people are uploading them daily to a little circle on Instagram: a space treated like a confessional, only without the priest. 

The list of confidents might include a random girl you met on a night out, your distant friend’s ex, or someone you’ve never even spoken to – and yet, they’ve seen you in tears, know your childhood trauma, or the name of your annoying manager. 

The urge to document, or vlog, intimate thoughts and personal breakdowns is an idea explored in Overshare, a play currently showing at London’s Greenwich Theatre. 

Written and performed by Eleanor Hill, Overshare is a monologue-driven play about mental health, internet culture and how social media has turned oversharing into a performance. 

The story is rooted in Eleanor’s own experience. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, she shared glimpses of a genuine mental health crisis on Instagram while struggling to access support. 

Eleanor livestreams a series of monologues (Picture: Joe Twigg Photography)

Eleanor’s ‘meltdown’, as she refers to it, inspired a series of monologues which then became a 2023 Edinburgh Fringe show. The extended version, Overshare, brings those experiences to the stage.

The play is set in Eleanor’s messy bedroom at her dad’s house. She grasps her phone throughout the performance, and her front-facing camera projects live footage above the stage, turning the audience into a mirror of her online followers. 

With monologue titles like ‘Dead Mum’ and ‘Problematic Wanks’, the semi-autobiographical play shares insight into Eleanor’s life, touching on everything from low moods, the loss of her mum and domestic abuse. 

‘I turned to Instagram to get out all of my thoughts and feelings’

Eleanor’s urge to share online began during the pandemic. As a recent drama school graduate living at her dad’s house, she tells Metro: ‘I was spending a lot of time in my room, and not being able to go out and see humans.’

Dealing with depression, an abusive relationship, and struggling to gain mental health support, she says: ‘I turned to Instagram to get out all of my thoughts and feelings.’

She describes much of the content she shared as ‘completely raw and unfiltered’. While many were just spectators of Eleanor’s Instagram stories, some appreciated her candour. 

‘I don’t have a massive following,’ she says. ‘But from the people who do follow me, I got quite a good reaction. 

‘They appreciated that someone was being real and honest and saying they were having a terrible time, because everyone else was busy making banana bread and pretending it was the best time.’

Others, however, barely interacted with them. ‘I was sharing a lot of things, and people were watching a lot of things,’ she says. ‘They might have emoji reacted, but they weren’t really reaching out and helping. 

‘When I got a bit better, it honestly made me a little bit sick if I’m honest.’

Eleanor eventually managed to get therapy, and now, she looks back on these stories with mixed feelings.

‘I watch them back and sometimes I think, “Oh god, I feel for her”. But at the same time, I think go on, get it all out there.

‘I was in an abusive relationship and it all just kind of came exploding out and, in a way, I’m glad it did, because if it hadn’t then I don’t know where I’d be right now.’

However, she notes that sharing online can be a ‘double-edged sword’. She says: ‘The oversharing and putting it all out there. I think I got lost in the performance aspect of it.

‘I was almost forgetting to ask myself for consent to share the things I was sharing because I might have been drunk or depressed or upset or angry or whatever, and it all just comes out.

‘Because of the immediacy of social media, you’ve just got your phone in your hand, and you can just put it out there.’

However, ultimately, Eleanor views sharing online as beneficial and as a saviour for her own mental health. 

She says: ‘Sharing in general is always going to be better than not sharing. Personally, I believe that if we don’t share, that’s probably where the danger is.’

Eleanor describes her Instagram stories as ‘raw and unfiltered’ (Picture: Joe Twigg Photography)

Why do we overshare so much online?

One definition of oversharing suggested by a 2012 psychology paper is that it’s an ‘excessive generosity with information about one’s private life or the private life of others’. But what is considered ‘excessive’ is hard to pin down. 

For an influencer, it might be a part of their money-making strategy. For the average person, though, it can be driven by deeper emotional needs. 

Psychologist Reza Shabahang explored this in a 2023 study, which identified many forms of oversharing online, including sadfishing – the act of posting emotional or distressing content online to elicit sympathy. 

The research, which focused on teenagers, found that those who frequently shared emotional content online tend to have higher levels of anxiety and attention-seeking tendencies. They also reported an excessive attachment to social media, with many having an ‘intense urge to post’. 

In his book Oversharing: Presentations of Self in the Internet Age, sociologist Ben Agger claims that in the online world, many reveal ‘more of their inner feelings, opinions and sexuality than they would in person, or even over the phone’. 

This is partly due to the online disinhibition effect, a sense of freedom to express thoughts and behaviours through a screen. 

Research psychologist Dr Emma Palmer-Cooper tells Metro: ‘The perceived anonymity of online platforms can make people more willing to share personal or emotional content, particularly if they believe their identity is concealed.’

What are the dangers of sharing too much?

Dr Emma explains that sharing online can offer a ‘sense of relief or validation’, especially if others empathise with the content. Online platforms can also offer a sense of connection. 

She explains: ‘Many people find community and support online, particularly around shared experiences, niche interests or identities that may be underrepresented in their offline lives.’

However, Dr Emma urges people to consider the long-term consequences before posting intimate details about their lives. 

‘What’s shared online tends to stay online, and unlike private, in-person conversations, online disclosures can be screenshot, reshared or misinterpreted by people far outside the intended audience.’

She also notes that people may be less inclined to intervene when they witness oversharing online, compared to in person. 

She explains: ‘This might be due to uncertainty about how to respond, a feeling that it’s not their place, or simply digital fatigue from frequent exposure to emotionally charged content.’

Overshare is showing at Greenwich Theatre until May 25.

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