Self-searchers on the rise

18 December 2007

The proportion of web users in the US who search for themselves online has more than doubled in the last five years, new research suggests.

The latest study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that almost half (47%) of 2,373 internet users questioned at the end of last year said they had searched online for their own name, up from just 22% in 2002.

The study's authors say that as more people have started to publish content online, individuals' awareness of their 'digital footprint' has grown.

However, only 3% of self-searchers said they made a regular habit of it, with 74% reporting that they had checked just once or twice.

Perhaps surprisingly, the majority (60%) of those questioned said that they were not worried about how much information could be found about them online, but a significant minority (38%) said they had taken steps to limit the information about them that appeared in search queries.

By far the most popular reason to search for other people's names was to find contact information, an activity that 72% of respondents said they had carried out.

Category: Search engines