Carrie Fisher in her one-woman show Wishful Drinking warned about the dangers of Googling yourself
“without a lubricant.” (I suggest a high proof bourbon for the lubricant.)
Business oriented publications commonly recommend self-Googling for a variety
of reasons including security and branding. It was an article in Forbes urging just this that prompted
this blog. The article argues that it is good to know if something online is
harmful to your reputation, whether it was posted by others or oneself (e.g. some
ill-considered Mardi Gras photos). It is sometimes (though only sometimes)
advisable to get those links removed if possible. This is not always possible
if, for example, they are public records, but at least if we are aware of what
a Google search reveals we’ll be prepared for questions that might arise at job
interviews. Interviews are a major reason that self-Googling isn’t merely vanity:
80% of employers will use the search engine to check on you before making a
hire. The first page results are key. Most casual searchers look no further. Very
few look beyond page 5. If you have a common name it might be hard to tease out
your own data from the results, which has both advantages and disadvantages. If
you have an unusual name (such as mine) almost everything will be about you.
I took Forbes’
advice and peeked. These days (surprisingly) my first 5 pages are pretty
innocuous. Most of the search results are links to my blog sites and books.
There are a few links to relatives with the same last name. In the remainder
there is substantial misinformation, but none that is worth getting in a snit
about. Besides, clicking on a link increases the likelihood of it appearing
higher on the next search, so sometimes it’s best to ignore misinformation or even
besmirching references (letting them fade to the back pages over time) provided
they aren’t doing serious damage to your current credit. A thick skin might not
be fashionable in the 21st century but it is still commendable.
Yet one’s Google footprint has an impact in more ways than
money and employment. 71% of surveyed single Americans say they use the search
engine to investigate a prospective date. Back in 1987 the movie Amazon Women on the Moon contained a
collection of comedic skits held together by a parody of 1950s sci-fi movies.
In one of the skits Rosanna Arquette before going out the door on a blind
date asks the young man for two forms of ID; she runs them through an
electronic device that gives her a readout on his dating history and all his
faults. In 1987 this was a joke. In 2021 it’s expected. Whether or not any red
flags that pop up in such a search are deserved, anyone in the dating market
might want to self-check to see what others see (there’s a Robert Burns echo in
there somewhere) and be ready to answer any obvious questions likely thereby to
arise.
It accomplishes little and is probably not good for one’s
psyche to search your online footprint obsessively however. Many people do.
According to a Bank of America survey 5% of Baby Boomers, 9% of Millennials,
and 11% of Gen Z Google themselves every day. Those might not seem like large
percentages but the numbers jump when “every day” is replaced by “frequently.” 48%
of Gen Z, 57% of Millennials, 45% of Gen Xers, and 37% of Baby Boomers answer
Yes to “I Google myself frequently.” What is “frequently”? That is subjective,
of course, but I suspect it’s a lot. Even in fully anonymous surveys people
tend to understate how much they engage in activities that embarrass them, and
frequent self-searches smack of narcissism. We know from alcohol tax receipts,
for example, that Americans drink 50% more than they report on surveys. The
statement “I like to have a couple of beers” is not likely literally to mean
two. “Frequently” is not likely to mean quarterly or monthly.
Unless the results are directly affecting your finances and
social life (the in-person kind, not the cyber kind) perhaps it’s best not to
worry about them. Like worrying about what the neighbors think, there is not
much profit in it. I’m
no more free of vanity than the average person, however, so I understand why many folks
do – especially young people who don’t remember a time before the internet and
who spend more of their lives on it. I wouldn’t wish away the net had I the power to
do so, but I’m glad the bulk of my life (the youthful part at that) was lived
without it – and therefore with a presumption of privacy and anonymity.
"In the future, everyone will be world-famous
for 15 minutes," said Andy Warhol. (Like so many famous quotes, the
authenticity of this one is disputed, but it has appeared in print since 1968
when he easily could have disowned it.) We are in Andy’s future, and (at least in well cyber-connected regions) everyone
is indeed at least famous enough to have a worldwide presence on the net. It’s
for more than 15 minutes though. Records of past missteps as well as successes
live on stubbornly online for all to see. Google eyes are upon us for life –
and beyond.
The
Andrews Sisters - Barney Google