When I type my name into Google, I get about 3-4 pages of results, comprised of my various social media networks and an old high school accomplishment here and there. While I’m aware that the act of “Googling myself” probably stems from a mixture of narcissism and curiosity, it’s satisfying to see how my internet presence has grown since I began interning with Undercurrent. And, considering my last name is so unique, I am actually the only person (aside from my big-time lawyer uncle in Thailand) who shows up in the search results.
On the one hand, I’m excited that my name and thoughts are search-able and could potentially have influence on someone (anyone?). That, and I kind of welcome the attention – I’m an only child, after all. On the other hand, I’m hesitant to release my personal information all over the Google-able (not a word) web. Maybe it’s because I’m not used to my new stalkable level. Or maybe it’s because I’m realizing how I’m not only building up my personal-brand-and-social-media-networking self, but I’m also whittling away at my personal privacy. I mean, now that my full name is in several digital places, it’s really easy for anyone to find me on Facebook via Stumbleupon or Digg or Mashable or Twitter (or vice versa). Or, anyone can find my one embarrassing YouTube video that I created for the Cubby Bernstein campaign – yeah, we’re not going to talk about it.
Sure, I’m not used to all of this quite yet. But when the world(-wide-web) is becoming increasingly more monitored/surveilled (read: Obama Drama!) and you can’t leave a comment on any website/blog without being prompted to give “your own url,” I’d rather have my name and ideas out there. So go ahead and Google me, or yourself, for that matter.
[...] available/searchable no matter what. Case in point: it already shows up as the third link when I Google my full name, only preceded by this blog (which is first, woo!) and Digg (which I rarely use anymore). So far, [...]
[...] Despite the busy week and the fact that I should be reviewing Supreme Court cases, I’ll attempt to list the news I’m currently excited about. If this bullet format seems like a trend of mine, you can attribute it to my love for Twitter – which happens to fit my scattered thoughts perfectly. As I’ve said before, Twitter is always the best place to see what I’m doing/thinking (also known as virtually lurking me – it’s okay, that’s kind of the point). [...]