Researching Myself

                My search for my “digital puppet” began by looking up some fairly basic information about myself in a variety of places. The first place that I searched was the White Pages. Here I entered my cell phone number to see what I could find about myself. My search results said that it is a “Verizon Wireless mobile phone from Milwaukee, WI.” The cell phone carrier information is correct, and though I don’t actually live in Milwaukee, I do live near Milwaukee, so anyone searching this information would find a general area of where I live. If someone were willing to pay a small fee, however, they would be able to learn my name and address, which could, in some respects, be concerning for those wishing to keep information like that private. After looking at the White Pages, I entered my zip code into The United States Census Bureau’s database. Here I found that the population of my hometown is 31,987 and that the median age in the community is 44.8. Also, there is an education rate of 96%, a poverty rate of 2.8%, and a median household income of $75,457. From this basic search alone, someone could already begin to draw the image that I come from a more privileged community near Milwaukee, WI and like have received/am receiving an education of some sort.

                Next, I did a social networking search of myself. Looking at my Facebook page from the outside (if you are not Facebook “friends” with me) shows my profile picture and cover photo, as well as some of my interests and hobbies, along with where I worked this summer. Beyond that, there is no specific information about where I am from or other such details. My Twitter account, however, is completely unlocked and someone who happened to stumble upon the page would be able to see all of my tweets and photos, as well as a list of my followers and a list of who I follow. This is in addition to a photo of me and a background image as well as the fact that I am from Wisconsin. Using the information found here, someone could draw the conclusion that I am an average college student. Many of my interests are typical of someone my age and my photos and tweets often have to do with my activities around Madison with my friends.

                Continuing my search, I googled my name, Scott Bembenek. From this simple search, one can find individuals that have the same name as me, but the only result specifically about me on the first search page is my Twitter account. On Google Images, the only photo of me that appears is the old picture for my Twitter account. The results are the same by searching “Bembenek, Scott.” After searches for my gmail, wiscmail, and aol email addresses, there were no results at all concerning me. Looking up my phone number simply brings up databases of similar phone numbers.

                After searching myself in a variety of contexts, I have learned that anyone else doing the same would at most learn basic information about myself. They would probably gather that I am a normal college student who mainly uses social media like Twitter to connect with friends. Overall, the information that someone searching for details about me would gather is pretty standard and accurate. Even better, there’s nothing that would cause a negative outlook on me.