7 in 10 consumers feel uncomfortable if their online activity gets leaked to someone they are familiar with

When browsing stuff on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram, none of us think of sharing our online activity with someone else. A survey was conducted by a blogging site, Online Tech Tips, which included one thousand Americans who were questioned about what they feel if they need to share their browsing activity with a person they are familiar with. The response came as expected. More than 71% of Americans replied they would not feel comfortable if someone accessed their internet activity.

The survey reveals that 40 percent of Americans will become embarrassed if other people know how many hours they spent online and one-third of them would not feel good if their close circle gets to know how much they consume social media in a single day. About 45 percent of respondents said the most awkward stuff they do on the internet is search for influencers about their personal lives and watch embarrassing content. In addition, 38 percent of Americans say they do not usually look for embarrassing stuff but rather learn relationship advice, about skincare and health-related content on the internet. About more than half (54 percent) of Americans are also impertinent about people they know and about their lifestyles. The survey also reveals among the list of embarrassing things Americans do online includes 25 percent shop for products they wouldn’t buy and 12 percent reading a lot of negative news.

According to Online Tech research, 51 percent of American men feel embarrassed about watching adult content and using the dark web while 27 percent of women feel awkward about visiting porn hub websites. Moreover, among the list of websites that Americans feel ashamed of spending much of their time on are Reddit, WebMD, TMZ, and Buzzfeed. It is important to note here that 16 percent of women and 7 percent of men were most uncomfortable spending their time on WebMD.

The survey also shed light on what Americans feel upon disclosing their web activity to their family and social circle. Of those surveyed, 43 percent would feel ashamed if their guardians get to know their online habits. They want to hide their activity from their partners: 30%, parents: 22%, Friends 10%, and so on. Also, most Americans routinely clear their browsing histories for the safe side and 71 percent of Americans use private searches.

The survey analysis unfolds the fact that younger Americans do not feel good about all the time they spent online. They are not proud of it compared to older ones. Over 2 in 5 Gen Z are embarrassed about the hours they spent on the internet looking up people they know (65%), searching for personal advice (55%), etc. whereas 2 in 3 young adults will feel uncomfortable if people knew who they searched online. Furthermore, 47 percent of Americans have already deleted social media content because others might not think it as good, versus 29 percent of aged Americans

The important key points of the survey included that about 29 percent of men would be uncomfortable if their spouses get to know about their browsing history. Whereas only 18 percent of women are concerned about this. Men are obviously keen to remove their browsing history for maintaining their privacy from their partners. But, people with conservative mindsets feel they are targeted. It is not shocking to know that anonymous social media usage is becoming common these days with 47 percent of Americans identified as using social media with hidden identities, especially on Instagram and Twitter.

Lastly, Americans believe clearing online history and using incognito searches is a way to maintain privacy and prevent any consequences, arising from family.
For many Americans the time we spend online as well as our internet browsing habits tell a lot about us. However, for many of us we’d prefer that information be kept private. What lengths would you go to protect your browsing history from those closest to you? A new report from Online Tech Tips found that over 70% of Americans are embarrassed to show other’s what they browse on the internet and over 50% of Americans would prefer to be without their smartphone for a year than to allow others to have access to their internet browsing history. The report also found that daily social media use is a touchy topic for many Americans. Let’s take a deeper look into the internet browsing habits that Americans are most embarrassed to share. The internet habits we hide from family and friends Americans will go to great lengths to hide their internet use from the people closest to them (family, friends, colleagues, etc..). Online Tech Tips found that Americans are most likely to hide their browsing history from their spouse, significant other, parents, friends, and bosses. To do so many are clearing their browsing history on a weekly basis. 66% of those surveyed report clearing their browser history at least once a week and may report using incognito mode or private search engines to better hide their search history. The websites and online behaviors we are most embarrassed by Not only are Americans embarrassed by the types of websites they visit on a daily basis, but they are also self-conscious about the time they spend browsing the internet each day. Over 4 in 10 Americans report being embarrassed by the time they spend both online and also on popular social media platforms. When it comes to the most embarrassing internet behavior for Americans, the survey found that Americans are most embarrassed to share the content they are watching and also that they spend time researching information about people they know. Almost half of America (45%) said they spend time each day Googling details about people they know. Americans also report spending time looking for personal advice, learning about medical symptoms, researching products to buy, keeping up with celebrity gossip and reading bad reviews of local businesses. The websites Americans are most embarrassed to visit We all have websites that we visit daily. It’s become a daily ritual for anyone with access to a smartphone or a home computer. However, there are some websites that cause more embarrassment than others for Americans. One of the bigger surprises from the survey found that many Americans are embarrassed to share that they spend time on the popular health site WebMD. Women reported they over twice as likely to be embarrassed for others to learn they spend time on WebMD then their male counterparts. Reddit, TMZ and BuzzFeed also cracked the top 5 most embarrassing websites that Americans spend time on each day. Younger generations are embarrassed by their online habits The survey from Online Tech Tips provided generational breakdowns and found that younger generations (Millennials and Gen Z) not only use the internet differently than older generations, but they also use it at a greater frequency and aren’t proud of being the generation who is spending the most amount of time each day online. Younger generations report being twice as embarrassed about their internet use than older generations (Baby Boomers and Gen X). A large majority of younger Americans (65%) would be embarrassed if their parents or older relatives had access to their browsing habits. On top of that, younger Americans are more likely to spend time looking up details about people they know than older generations (65% vs 33%), more likely to watch embarrassing content than their older counterparts (65% vs 33%), more likely to search for personal advice (55% vs 20%) and more likely to buy products online that they would be embarrassed to buy in person (35% vs 17%). Younger Americans are also more likely to hide their social media comments from others. 47% have deleted a comment they posted on social media because they were concerned others would see it and many regularly delete their browsing histories to keep it from being seen by others. Women are more embarrassed than men to share their browsing history On top of providing generational breakdowns for internet surfing habits, Online Tech Tips also provided gender breakdowns and found that while men and women spend roughly about the same time online each day, women report being more embarrassed about their browsing habits than men. On top of the time spent on social media and internet browsing each day, there are particular browsing habits that women are more likely to engage in than their male counterparts. Women were found to spend more time Googling what people’s lifestyles are like online, more likely to Google what jobs people work and more likely to Google if people they know have children. Men on the flipside were found to be more likely to hide their browsing history from their partner or significant other, more likely to hide social media posts from their dating partner and would be more embarrassed if people saw what they look at while using social media platforms. Americans report reluctance to voice their opinions on social media Social media platforms are most often used to share opinions with people we know and strangers on the internet. However, more and more Americans are using caution with the opinions they share online. It turns out Americans are scared that the opinions they post on social media may be used against them in the future. As a result, more and more Americans are using anonymous accounts so that they have the ability to share their opinions without judgement while also being anonymous.
Read next: A Study Details The Importance Of Customer Service, With Ineffectual Examples Leading To Customers Moving Elsewhere
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