Goggles on Google : the effect of observational cues on stigmatizing Google search behaviour

Abstract

This thesis uses Google Trends data to examine search behaviour for stigmatized Google search terms in the United States and the United Kingdom. The study aims to test the evolutionary legacy hypothesis, that suggests an automatic, prosocial response resulting from alterations of perceived anonymity. In our study, this alteration occurs when online searchers are exposed to observational cues in the Google logo. Our work builds on previous and inconclusive research on eye exposure and expands the study to a real-life setting. We discover no evidence for change in behaviour. Our follow-up analyses make us confident that at least two of our search categories are stigmatizing enough to provoke a reaction to alterations of actual anonymity, adding strength to our conclusion.