Beneath the Peak

Last week, the Pew Internet & American Life Project released a survey on Americans’ awareness of their digital footprint — a fancy way of asking whether they Google their own names.

The number of people who Google themselves is substantial — nearly half of the survey respondents. What’s surprising, though, is that only 3% do it regularly.

When background information on the person you’re about to meet, date or hire is only a few keystrokes away, it seems crazy not to use it. And if you accept that premise, it’s crazier still not to know what’s out there attached to your name.