ITWire

On the flip side, the same survey also revealed a perception of “oversharing,” with many adults and teens – and more in Australia than other countries - saying they believed other people divulged too much information about themselves online.

Of all of the eight countries surveyed, Australia recorded the highest number of adults and teens - nine percent of adults and 84 percent of teens – who say people divulge too much information about themselves online.

The Intel 2012 Mobile Etiquette survey also reveals that over half of Australian adults, or 56 per cent, report that one of their top online sharing pet peeves is people who post about every detail of their life.

For Australian teenagers, 85 per cent who share online recognise the lasting impact of sharing personal information, and over a quarter of teens - 26 per cent - report they have kept up with the lives of ex-girlfriends or ex-boyfriends with information they find online.

The study, conducted by Ipsos Observer and commissioned by Intel, examined the current state of mobile etiquette and evaluated how adults and teens in the eight countries shared and consumed information online, as well as how digital sharing impacted culture and relationships.

As well as Australia, the research was conducted in the United States in March and in Brazil, China (adults only), France, India, Indonesia and Japan.

The survey of Chinese adults only, found that 77 percent report to being an "open book," saying there was very little they would not share online, while half of the adults in China – or 51 per cent -  admitted that at times they found themselves sharing too much personal information online.

And, eight out of 10 adults in China (82 per cent) said they shared or posted online once a week or more, with nearly one-third (31 per cent) reporting they shared throughout the day.

In the United States, nine out of 10 adults report that they believe people are sharing too much information about themselves online, with an overwhelming majority of American adults (85 per cent) saying they share information online, and with one-quarter – 26 percent sharing once or more a day.

For Americans, the top online sharing pet peeve for nearly six out of 10 adults, or 59 per cent, was people who constantly complained, while one out of five US adults, or 19 per cent, admitted to sharing false information online.

And, for US teens, 42 per cent felt like they were missing out if they were not able to share or consume information online, and four out of 10 (42 percent) more comfortable sharing information online than in public settings.