Image Is Everything Online
by Pete Prestipino
Posted on 07.16.2008
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According to a study conducted by MaCorr Research and released today by 1&1 Internet Inc., over three-quarters of Americans admit to having concerns about how they appear online as a result of personal material placed on the Internet.
The survey found that 27 percent have regretted posting material about themselves online, yet 76 percent of Americans admit to judging individuals solely based on their material online.
Over half (58 percent) of Americans now routinely 'Google' new people they meet. Another survey of 700 people who publish their own personal website(2), as opposed to just social networking, found that 85 percent believed this offered more control over their online image, and 77 percent saw their website as providing a better impression than social networks such as MySpace or Facebook.
The '1&1 Online Identity Survey' found that an astonishing 77 percent of the American public express some degree of concern regarding the issue of 'online identity.' Significantly, the majority of Americans, 89 percent, now believe there to be personal material (i.e. blogs, photos, Facebook profiles) relating to them on the Internet. Over 30 percent of people have been embarrassed by what others have published online. Almost 1 in 5 (18 percent) of Americans believe their online image gives an inaccurate portrayal of themselves, with some 27 percent later regretting posting material online.
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