Imagine Google coming alive and confronting you with your searches, those searches that leave you a bit shamefaced, those ones you asked in places where your screen is hidden from other faces, will you wish to slither into the pores of the earth?

Of course there’s only a minuscle chance of that happening (never say never yes?). I definitely will be scandalized if my Google searches of “how to add weight (in choice areas)” is broadcast to my family and friends.

As ridiculous as those private searches of yours may be,  you might be relieved to learn you’re not the only one who asked those questions. Of course it’s general knowledge that Google has been keeping tabs on all inputs, resulting in a universe of database from which we all pull needed information. But it recently went a step further to create a search map showing the density of peculiar searches from each part of the world. The focus is on “how to” searches and from the data gathered by Google, they have increased by 140% since 2014.

The “how to”s are amusing (and sad) in a way. “How to kiss, get pregnant, draw, fix toilets…” People, how did we get here?

Let’s put aside the amusing peculiarities and similarities of countries and talk about what this says about us all as human beings and our current state.

It’s obvious we have drifted apart; chasms dividing each person from the other such that each has only a thin bridge linking to another. Rather than turn to, say a friend or sibling for comfort we feel much more comfortable cuddling into the invisible arms of a jumble of data.

How did we get here?

The answer, if we’re going to be honest, is there in our snappish answers and disinterest. But we are going to do nothing about it, right? We’re just going to carry living on our little islands like we don’t care right?

I hope not.

You can find the map here >>>