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Most Americans Haven't Googled Themselves, Study Finds

by Evan Shamoon on December 18, 2007 at 09:39 AM

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So apparently Americans are not nearly as paranoid, narcissistic, or tech-savvy as we might have guessed. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project said 47 percent of U.S. adult Internet users have Googled themselves (via either Google or another search engine). Seems low, doesn't it?

Granted, that is more than double the 22 percent of users who had done so when the last poll was taken, in 2002, but still -- never having Googled your own name?

"Yes it's doubled, but it's still the case that there's a big chunk of Internet users who have never done this simple act of plugging their name with search engines," said Pew senior research specialist Mary Madden. "Certainly awareness has increased, but I don't know it's necessarily kept pace with the amount of content we post about ourselves or what others post about us."

Oddly enough, Pew found that 53 percent of adult Internet users admit to looking up information about someone else -- celebrities excluded. We imagine that number jumps to about 95 percent.

From Wired News


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