Stalking exes to self-diagnosing: Americans are embarrassed about their search histories
How many times have you stalked your ex on Instagram or doom-searched through WebMD to figure out what that spot on your elbow is? Too embarrassed to admit it? You aren't alone.
Most Americans would rather give up their smartphones for a year than have their browsing history published online, according to a recent study from Online Tech Tips.
In a study that surveyed 1,000 Americans, 71% say they would be embarrassed if someone they knew had access to their lifelong search history.
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Matt Zajechowski, director of media relations for Online Tech Tips, said the study wanted to find what embarrassing things people did online.
"We wanted to survey American tech users about their tech habits or the habits that they're embarrassed to share with other people," Zajechowski said.
Americans are embarrassed about what they do online
According to the survey, 40% of Americans surveyed said they would be embarrassed if other people saw how much time they spent reading about topics online. And 32% of those surveyed say they would be embarrassed if people saw how much time they dedicated to being on social media.
The survey also found that 45% of those surveyed said the most embarrassing thing they do is look up people and stalk their accounts to learn about their lives. Over a third of the participants surveyed said they use the internet to look for relationship and health advice, along with other personal topics, like medical symptoms.
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"The most embarrassing thing that people admitted to was that they're actually spending time looking up details about the people closest to them to learn more about them," Zajechowski said.
Many of those surveyed said they want to hide what they do online, especially from friends and family. When it comes to specific websites, Americans were most embarrassed about the amount of time they spend on PornHub, Reddit and WebMD with TMZ and Buzzfeed right behind.
Gen Z and Millennials aren't proud of social media time
Young adults are twice as likely compared to older adults to spend time online looking for people, content and advice and they aren't proud of it.
The study said that 45% of those surveyed who were young adults are embarrassed about the time spent reading certain topics on social media, whereas only 26% of older Americans feel this way.
"Younger generations grew up with this technology, so we would be the ones more likely to embrace it. But the fact that they admitted they were embarrassed and self-aware of the time they spend was a surprising takeaway," Zajechowski said.
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Many young adults also cover their tracks to avoid potential embarrassment if someone sees their history. One in 3 young adults clears their browsing history to hide it from partners and friends while nearly half of young adults have deleted a comment on a social media post out of fear of who might see it.
"People are worried that if they said something controversial online, it could be used against them for a job search," Zajechowski said, adding that people remove comments or potentially controversial content just in case.
Sara Edwards is a consumer news intern at Paste BN. You can follow her on Twitter @sedwards380.