I’m a narcissist at heart. Mirrors are a constant source of distraction, but nothing quite catches my attention like that Google search bar. I love searching my own name on the Internet. And according to a new poll, I’m in very sizable company.
A newly released poll from the Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project shows 56% of Internet users admit to looking up information about themselves using a search engine. Those aged 18 to 29 are disproportionately more likely to self-search (64%), as are those with college degrees (68%) and people making more than $75,000 annually (66%). Men (58%) were slightly more likely to search for their own name as women (54%).
The percentage of internet users who self-search is up dramatically since Pew first started tracking them in 2001. Back then, less than a quarter of Internet users searched for their own names.
Of course, our egos drive some of that traffic to Google. But beyond self-satisfaction, performing a search for your own name to monitor your online reputation is actually good practice. Unflattering search results can’t always be removed, but their impact can typically be minimized.
This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Techlicious.
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