Sharenting: What Drives Parents’ Desire to To Share Online?

We see it all the time — people sharing pictures of their kids. Why do these parents use public platforms to share (and, let’s be frank, often overshare) details about their lives and kids’ lives online? There’s a lot of powerful psychological motivators at play — a combination of pride, joy, identity and social validation. But it’s not without risks. Without attention to privacy settings, image content and boundary violations, it can also be a little thoughtless or reckless.

Parents and grandparents have always felt the need to share. Who can forget the pre-digital “Grandma’s Brag Books”? Sharing serves some important functions: 1) it can provide social validation, especially among those for whom having children or grandchildren is culturally a badge of honor or accomplishment, 2) it enables people to appreciate and savor, and 3) it can serve as a means of reinforcing social norms as well as one’s actions and roles. Parenting is hard. We like to know we’re doing it right.

Social media sharing also functions as today’s photo albums. Instagram can be an easy place to access and revisit images, re-experience events or for just plain old reminiscing. The act of sharing increases what is known in psych lit as capitalization — creating greater enjoyment and meaning around events.