Googler beware

“Hey Esther, I don’t know if you remember me, but we met Saturday night. I hope this is your email, I googled you. Email me back if this is you and I would like to get together this week. – Todd”

The internet has changed the way we date, who we date, and how we research someone we are going on a date with. When I got the email from Todd I felt my personal life invaded, however I google guys that I meet to gain knowledge about them therefore I can not complain that I feel my personal life meddled in; although my personal life is known by all Jewish Advocate readers. To what extent has Google, Myspace and Facebook changed the way we date? Is the internet too invasive in our personal life?
Through searching google I have found people’s dissertations, college photos, resumes, and place of employment. I have not found anything too weird but I have heard stories of people finding disturbing photos and past employment.
The internet can be as invasive as you make it. CNN.com had an article last week about googling a date which stated one should take the information gathered on google with a grain of salt and be ready to handle information that can be disturbing. A person can be very excited about a person they met but if they google them and find something that concerns them they have to be prepared how to process that new found information.
So I googled Todd and found that his place of employment is legit, his high school running times and a research grant he wrote for a biology class. However, there was a reason I did not give Todd my contact information. Even if I was not dating R, Todd was parve. Also, when finding someone on google that you met at an event or bar, do not tell them you googled them. It is a tad on the stocker side.
Has google diminished the “old fashion way” of gathering information? About five years ago people started researching each other through google instead of conversing with each other about their lives. I use google as a tool but not as an indicator of the person’s likes and dislikes, personality, or pass judgment on their google outcomes.