How often do you google people you used to know?

[Anonymous]

I don't do this often, maybe a couple times a year when I think of someone I went to school with or someone comes up in conversation.

However, one thing I've noticed is that when I do google people now, I'm less likely to find anything about them online than I was a few years ago. I think part of it is that people are more likely to make their social media accounts private than they used to be, so back in 2015 or so, I might have found their Facebook page but now I probably won't unless I am already a friend of a friend and search them on Facebook.

Sometimes I find LinkedIn accounts but I'm an age (late 40s) where there's a big divide there. Some people have them and it's obvious they maintain them and want them to be discoverable, but a lot of people I might have grown up with maybe live in a small town, have had the same job their whole lives, or are stay at home parents, and they either don't have an account or will have one but it's clear they haven't visited it in a decade.

I think it's good that it's harder to find people online these days, even if it makes for less satisfying searches when I get curious about someone.

[Anonymous]

I do, on occasion. I’m curious how people’s lives turned out. One old acquaintance was married to someone we didn’t like, and it was refreshing to see that she had divorced him, went back to school and became a neurosurgeon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do, on occasion. I’m curious how people’s lives turned out. One old acquaintance was married to someone we didn’t like, and it was refreshing to see that she had divorced him, went back to school and became a neurosurgeon.

Total BS story. nice try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do, on occasion. I’m curious how people’s lives turned out. One old acquaintance was married to someone we didn’t like, and it was refreshing to see that she had divorced him, went back to school and became a neurosurgeon.

Total BS story. nice try.

No, it is 100% true! We were working as pharmacy techs in a hospital at the time (dispensing meds and making IV bags for patients). We were all in our 20s and all had bachelor degrees, but were unable to find good jobs (this was the early 90s, when genx was jobless after college.) She must have gone on to med school after we all left the pharmacy.

[Anonymous]

Maybe once a year. Found out my exbf married a billionaire. And my exBIL went from being a poetry professor to a convicted felon. Life is such a weird path!

[Anonymous]

I’ve recently looked up college boyfriends and easily found info on them. Glad I didn’t get serious with any of them.

I found one guy from college who I want revenge on. He lives on the west coast now. I can’t think of any good revenges though. I waited too long.

[Anonymous]

all THEeee time.

[Anonymous]

I do this often. I work with a lot of clients who work with me for a year or two and then move forward in their lives, and I like to see what they are up to now.

[Anonymous]

Pretty much never. Just makes me feel really icky every time so I just don't anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If someone pops into my head and I think " I wonder what they're doing now" I might google them. But I'm 54 and I'd say about 50% or more of the people my age have zero social media presence. So some are not out there to read about at all. Others are in fact dead, which can be depressing to find.

Very few of my former classmates are dead. And many are on Facebook, which has become the 45+ crowd.

[Anonymous]

Youall the time. Just m an Internet stalker.

I google people I meet too.

I found out one dad on our kids soccer team was arrested for child sex abuse recently.

I found out an old friend died.

I found out another old friend had a child die of cancer.

I have a friend who is a famous actor but I saw him in a small part then would stalk him until he hit it big and now he’s just on Wikipedia . Boring so easy.

I had a friend at a party say I could never find out her “real story” … a week later I found she changed her name, she was one of 4 sibling, the other 3 were adopted from another county and the country, where she graduated from HS and what political contributions she made. She was blown away, lol.

[Anonymous]

Maybe once a month? Will wonder what happened to so so. Had a sad story where I looked up old family friends only to learn the daughter my age had terminal brain cancer. They had a go fund me and everything.

I donated some money anonymously, and wished I could have reached out but it would have been super weird as they were friends with my parents not me, and my parents are dead (I had thought of them because I was wondering about something about my parents related to them).

[Anonymous]

I periodically google my exes. I dated one guy for six years, and I felt like we were just wrong/place, wrong/time kind of exes for a while, but he seems to have never moved beyond where he was. I always wished him well. His name is the same as a famous musician so it's hard to google him. But I just did again based on this thread and now see his mom died three months ago. She was a lovely woman and her obituary was perfect. I know he wrote it. He always had a way with words. He was with her.

[Anonymous]

I used to do this shit but I don’t have time anymore. Also I don’t give a shit about anyone so there’s that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Youall the time. Just m an Internet stalker.

I google people I meet too.

I found out one dad on our kids soccer team was arrested for child sex abuse recently.

I found out an old friend died.

I found out another old friend had a child die of cancer.

I have a friend who is a famous actor but I saw him in a small part then would stalk him until he hit it big and now he’s just on Wikipedia . Boring so easy.

I had a friend at a party say I could never find out her “real story” … a week later I found she changed her name, she was one of 4 sibling, the other 3 were adopted from another county and the country, where she graduated from HS and what political contributions she made. She was blown away, lol.

That's not remotely creepy.