Brianna Snyder:

Still, I Google every single person I meet. Sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of curiosity. And I bet you, to some extent, do that, too. It’s a reflex now, and like a cliche of Internet culture: If I can access information, why wouldn’t I?

…“People need to understand that we’re in a new era right now. That era is one of complete transparency: You can see and hear and watch what people do more than we ever could before.”

Does Barnes think the Era of Complete Transparency is a bad thing? “Some people think it’s good, some people think it’s bad,” she says. “For me, it’s just real.”

Which is why you’re basically behind the curve if you’re not Googling pretty much everyone you meet. 

“I’m afraid that this thing I do makes me a weirdo. So, to make myself feel better, I’m going to blithely implicate you in my weirdness. By the end of the article, I’ll have rationalized, with the help of an Official Expert, that it’s not only normal, it’s inevitable.”

Sorry, weirdo. I manage to make it through the day just fine without needing to pry into the lives of my co-workers and acquaintances. If I’m not invited, it’s none of my business to eavesdrop on their online conversations with other people. Granted, many of them are indeed displaying parts of their lives in a public space. Nonetheless, out of basic politeness, I still don’t assume that I’m welcome everywhere unless specifically forbidden.