Computers, Celebrities, MySpace, Google
Stalker Alert -- 53 Percent of Adults Google Others
The Internet has turned us all into a bunch of stalkers. Don't believe us? Then check out this poll from the Pew Internet research center. The same report that found that most American's hadn't Googled themselves reveals, by contrast, that a majority has Googled a friend or family member.
Why Google someone else? Well, many (36 percent) said that they searched for a friend they had lost touch with. Another good chunk (19 percent) were out looking for information on professional contacts, such as coworkers and competitors, with 11 percent specifically using Google as a tool to help weed out applicants for jobs.
Shockingly, though, only nine percent of adults have searched online for information about someone they were dating or a significant other. We would have thought it would have been a lot higher, but apparently it's okay to hop in the sack with any John or Sally, regardless of their Google-search-results profile.
Still, a full seven percent of fully embrace stalkerdom and return on a regular basis -- defined as more than "once or twice" -- to see if the information available online about the target of their creepy obsession has changed.
So, if you're regularly looking up information about anyone on Google, it might be time to take a good long look in the mirror and ask if you've crossed the line from curious to creepy. And yes, do this even if you're Googling yourself every few days, you self-centered jerk.
Check out the full report here (warning: PDF).
From ValleyWag
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
wolfie said 7:18PM on 2-07-2008
realy,who cares? How anybody goes out and meet someone they typed to on the Internet,is Mind booglyn to me,you have to not only be a desperate person,but also a stupid one.
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bob the blob said 12:02PM on 2-12-2008
If you do a search on google under my name, a whole bunch of false harrassing comments from a mentaly ill armed & dangerous tenant I evicted because he threatened to kill me & other tenants come up. Google won't remove them. The police let the nutcase out of jail. The buliten board owner won't remove them because I "threatened" to sue him if he didn't remove them. He then posted my emails online also. So much for personal privacy. What should I do?
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cwicker said 8:29PM on 2-21-2008
I don't think "stalking" is the right word to use when you're trying to find someone. I'm glad I googled a person that a friend was trying to set me up with...she didn't know that he did some time for domestic abuse. He was a handsome and successful man, a coveted bachelor, with a horrible past and I'm sure glad I looked him up.
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Gloria Peters said 11:04PM on 3-11-2008
OMG! I just did a search for the first time on my deceased husband and found his memorial. This really does work. This is scary.
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FLLady said 9:19PM on 3-12-2008
It's not the first thing I would do but was is wrong with seeing what comes up or doesn't by doing a simple search? I wouldn't go through the trouble of hiring someone. If you have that much of a bad feeling, take your guts advice. Maybe this article will make others a little more careful about posting personal information & pictures online.
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FLLady said 2:22PM on 3-14-2008
Hey Dale, nice pics for sale but not my locale.
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Mark said 2:13PM on 12-19-2007
Two years ago I met an attractive woman in the security line at an airport. Although we only talked briefly, there seemed to be a strong mutual attraction. As we parted ways to our respective terminals (she was on her way back home to San Francisco and I, back home to Chicago), I didn't ask for her contact information because I though, "how often am I in SF?".
When I returned to my office, I looked on my calendar and realized that I had a conference in SF in 3 weeks. With the limited information that I knew about her (first name, she was a dancer and had taught in Chicago), I was able to find her through the magic of Google.
I contacted her, informed her that I wasn't a stalker, and asked her out her out to dinner while I was there. She accepted and long story short - we got married this past spring and we're expecting our first child early next year.
So not all of us out here Googling (that's a word, right?) others are creeps. I think some of us are actaully using our Google powers for good, not evil.
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Charles said 2:45PM on 12-19-2007
Why do you define searching for others with such a negative term as "stalking?"
It sure seems like "searching for old friends and family members" is much more apropos, based on the numbers and the relationships you cited.
This is a perfect example of the sensationalistic media trying to create a negative story with a false and misleading headline.
Shame on you!
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Diane said 3:01PM on 12-19-2007
Americans (first paragraph) is plural, not possessive. The apostrophe is unnecessary.
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Some girl said 3:18PM on 12-19-2007
That's a really cool story, Mark! Wow the power of google...
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sue said 3:41PM on 12-19-2007
The first time I went on one of those search sites was by accident. I hit some button and up popped this screen that said "Find out where someone lives" or whatever they say.
I had been curious about internet privacy (oxymoron!) and so checked on myself. I was shocked to see that ANYONE can find out your address, AGE!, family members, and probably lots more if they're so inclined.
As for "googling," I am a songwriter, VERY unskilled at self-promo, but eventually I'll HAVE to make sure I'm googlable. It's no longer an option. It's a de rigueur part of a resume. You don't EXIST in the music world unless you exist in cyberspace. Sad, but true. Some clubs won't even ACCEPT a CD if you walk in and try to hand it to them. It's more REAL if it's downloadable. (And these words I have to make up just to talk about this stuff...)
So, "self-centeredness" is more or less being forced on us by the commoditization of art and identity.
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poor and anonymous said 3:50PM on 12-19-2007
When I start dating someone I go out to the public records sites for my county and state to see if this person has anything on their record I should be concerned about. The last guy I met on a well-known dating site had a rather explosive temper. On our state's court website I found he had been charged with assault in the 4th degree a few years before. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, since I know people do grow and change, but after another month I ended things, due to his volatility.
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Andrew said 4:13PM on 12-19-2007
I'm not really sure why this author uses such negative terms.. Looking up someone is now called stalking? Isn't looking someone up on the net like looking in a phone book or calling 411 information?
I have the standard rule: if you can find someone with a little detective work by going through Google (or wherever) without spending money or spending more than 30 minutes, that's OK. After that, it's stalking. Not sure why 30 minutes is allowable - because actually you should be able to find anyone that you've lost touch with in about 10 - 15 minutes - but more than that seems to me to be verging on the creepy side... maybe because after a half hour you would really have to be obsessive to continue looking..
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JCE said 4:13PM on 12-19-2007
It's not stalking dimrod, public record is not stalking. If it were then anyone that was ever investigated, be it pre employment or whatever, would have been a victim of stalking, and that's well everyone. Now if they show up at your address or attempt to find information that's not publically known, then that would qualify as stalking.
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Shawn Bushway said 4:17PM on 12-19-2007
When people correct the grammar or punctuation mistakes found within forum posts or editorials - it makes that person appear to be a pathetic individual.
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Catherine said 4:39PM on 12-19-2007
I started dating an attorney in the general area where I live. He had recently left another area of Florida after practicing law there for several years. He dodged questions about why long enough that I got suspicious about it. What attorney leaves behind a good reputation to start over?
So I Googled his name+attorney+the city where he lived. And guess what? He was facing charges there for soliciting a minor (12 y.o.) over the Internet. This "girl" was a detective, so nothing happened to a child. Maybe that is entrapment, I'm not sure. The point is, he is a potential pedophile! At the very least he likes little girls.
My suspiciouns were right. All I did was pull up newspaper articles from his former hometown because he dodged simple questions. Thank God for Google is all I've got to say.
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Tori said 5:38PM on 12-19-2007
uhh that's a bit disturbing
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Thom said 5:48PM on 12-19-2007
I googled myself, there was a comment I posted to automaker.
some music I worked on.
They also have false info about me applying for house building permits.
That wasn't accurate.
Things indirectly attached to names.
I think the automated a to z categorize function of there system needs work.
The real issue is does one who googles oneself get the same info as someone who googles them or someone else on a different computer.
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Jay said 5:49PM on 12-19-2007
"I contacted her, informed her that I wasn't a stalker, and asked her out her out to dinner while I was there. She accepted and long story short - we got married this past spring and we're expecting our first child early next year.
So not all of us out here Googling (that's a word, right?) others are creeps. I think some of us are actaully using our Google powers for good, not evil."
Mark -- that's a great story.
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Bubba said 7:59PM on 12-20-2007
I googled the word "Redneck" and my name popped up. I then went to a people search website and found there are several million with my name
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