I know you’ve done it. In the privacy of your bedroom, you're all alone, you’re feeling curious, a little bored and all of a sudden you take the plunge and... google yourself. Prompted by a recent class on Online Media I started to question how my name looked online. I've always believed in the importance of maintaining a positive reputation. But what happens when your reputation is out of your hands and suddenly in placed the hands of anyone with computer access? Well, my discovery begins...
This tale starts out tragically. As I took to google to type in my little anonymous name I expected maybe some articles on me from high school or facebook information. Instead I found wretched and devastating news: my name is famous... and not by my doing. 
That's when my information started trickling in. My online footprint is pretty lacking, but it did give me-pretending to be a judgmental stranger- some input. The most informational results were my facebook and twitter accounts. Links to these accounts were uncomfortably personal and I never really considered the fact that keeping my twitter account open means that every single person on the internet knows when I'm walking my dog. My facebook account is private but I still have close to two thousand friends (and I just weeded out everyone I didn't know this summer... which leaves me wondering how is it possible to know 2,000 people?!) I've often considered deleting my facebook but in the end I cannot break the sick addiction that consumes me. Also, how would I keep in touch with the people that aren't quite phone-conversation-worthy? You know who those people are: the kid that grew up on your street that you haven't seen in 8 years, the high school crush that is on year 6 in college and worsens with age (much to your happiness), the frenemy you love to stalk that's living a fabulous life abroad. Isn't it just integral that I know what these very important people did last night and what their favorite movies are? Definitely.
In the end, after perusing a few other search engines, I realized that having a famous namesake has some perks. If anyone googles me, even with specific information, this bifocaled name-twin pops up in every single result. My 8 results are buried under her accolades and that's just fine with me because hopefully my less flattering results will be buried too. I was surprised at how little information there was on the web about me but I was also quite relieved. The juiciest bits I found were pictures of me as a Debutante in 2006... no need to scream with excitement. Of course I'm devising ways to outshine the "other" Jessica Hagy and claim the throne as the most important, but until then I'll live happily as a slightly anonymous online identity.
2 comments:
This is a great post. You go through what a lot of people do on the web. I have actually devised a formula to measure your online footprint. Check it out at http://WhatsMyOnlineFootprint.com
I do wish more people would search information about themselves, so they can realize the implications of the information they put online. Every single thing we do on the internet, as long as we engage in any forum that has an identity, can already be tagged as your online identity. Even if it's not linked to your real name. With so many sophisticated search techniques employed today, it's relatively easy for anyone to track your identity to your online accounts if you're not careful with your privacy settings. We always have to be proactive managing our online identity. Because with the increasing integration of our online identities into real life situations (such as the workplace), they're now connected to our reputation whether we like or not.
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