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Truth or Dare: The Google Effect
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Truth: I recently experienced what I’ll call “The Google Effect” on a date. Most people I know Google the names of people they plan to court. I’d never done it myself, and to my knowledge, no one I’ve dated has ever Googled me. That is, until I met Google Guy.
A few weeks ago, I went to lunch at Bittercreek with a friend. I had the plague that’s been going around, so I looked and felt rather ragged.
I noticed a handsome gentleman sitting a few tables down from us had eyes for me. We exchanged glances a few times until I felt my cheeks burn red from his gaze. (Could have been my fever, but we’ll say it was his gaze). He was with a woman I thought was his girlfriend, but it turned out to be his best friend.
As they left, she stopped to chat, bringing her debonair friend with her, and immediately went to work setting us up on a date. Google Guy was funny, articulate and confident which I found incredibly attractive.
When he asked what I do for a living I told him I write for Boise State’s newspaper. I don’t like saying I’m editor-in-chief because I think it sounds a bit pretentious and I end up having to answer 101 questions about my job.
However, the business card I gave him outed what my position truly is. He mentioned he was impressed with my credentials, but didn’t make a fuss over it. I was relieved. It’s nice to talk about aspects of my life that don’t include what I do for a living.
He called me two days later and seemed really excited to talk to me, which I thought was nice, but a little odd.
Turns out, he went home and Googled me and got it in his head that I was some sort of celebrity. He read blogs and articles I wrote, listened to my podcasts, knew about my academic achievements, as well as awards I’ve won, and proceeded to list them off for me like I’d forgotten they were a part of my resume.
There’s a lot information about me available on the Internet, but I never seriously considered what image that would project to someone going on a date with me.
Google Guy changed because the way he saw me changed. I was no longer the “classy lady” he met on a stormy afternoon at Bittercreek. I was my resume.
As a result, on our date he was nervous. Really nervous.
He morphed from a relaxed, confident man into something entirely different. He went on and on about his financial and career success, perhaps because he thought that’s what I wanted to hear or he thought he needed to compete with my achievements.
I tried to make clear I wanted to know things about him I would not find on a resume or financial report. I tried to impress that knowing my resume before getting to know me might give him the idea that my life is all glitz and glamour, but in reality, my personal life is pretty low key.
No matter what I said, I couldn’t get Google Guy to see the down-to-earth me. He worked himself up so much over what he’d read about me that he felt a need to impress me. Our first date was a dud as a result.
Dare: A person is not their Google search – be sure to take what you find on the Internet about someone in context of who they are in person. It would be nice to get back to boy meets girl, rather than boy meets Google.
SHANNON MORGAN
Editor-in-Chief