Overheard

Overheard: Enabled Eavesdropping Posted in Social Networking on 27 Aug 2010

Written by Allison Wahl

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It follows general etiquette that eavesdropping is rude so we shouldn’t engage in it. However, it is only natural for humans to be curious about what others think and what sorts of topics are grabbing peoples’ attention. Overheard is an app that basically denounces a polite respect for personal space and encourages people to feed these curiosities. It allows users to see what conversations are occurring on various social networks (i.e. others’ Twitter feeds and Facebook posts), so as to gain a “visual geo representation of noise and chatter,” either for their immediate location or on a larger scope, such as the entire world. Overheard lets people see the thoughts of those they do and do not know and contribute to or passively enjoy others’ thoughts as they wish.

While I see how this app could be intriguing and could present new insights and commentary on our interactions and actions in society, I feel that it takes social networking too far. It is enough that we are constantly bombarded by feeds of various kinds and excessive details about what our friends are or are not doing; I personally do not think it is necessary to input others’ details into the equation. I am definitely a curious person by nature, but that does not mean I need to know everything everyone else is thinking in order to have a grasp of what is going on in my life. However, this opinion is strictly mine — what is your take on Overheard?