Drawing on data from numerous sources, including Google, Facebook and even Youporn, Seth Stephens Davidowitz demonstrates that people are not always truthful when they answer surveys, or when they update their social media status.
The truth is out there though…
Google has become the friendly ear of the web we share all our secrets with.
Following in the wake of “Freakonomics” and other data based books, “Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are” is a gold mine of information for quantitative analysis fans, and particularly if you’re interested in SEO.
As stated in the Guardian : “The trails we leave as we seek knowledge on the internet are tremendously revealing”. And social sciences now finally have an effective measuring tool: Big Data.
Sexist bias in Google searches relating to gifted and overweight children in the US, France and the UK.
In Everybody Lies, Seth looks at the sexism demonstrated by internet users. When it comes to subjects like obesity and extreme intelligence, parents in the US ask Google different questions depending on the gender of their children.
Consider questions about a child’s weight. Parents Google “Is my daughter overweight?” roughly twice as frequently as they Google “Is my son overweight?” (pp. 135-136).
Here’s the data from Google Keyword Planner for the US, France and the UK:
United States :
| Keyword | Monthly Searches |
| is my child gifted | 590 |
| is my child overweight | 210 |
| is my son gifted | 110 |
| is my daughter gifted | 70 |
| is my daughter overweight | 50 |
| is my son overweight | 30 |
| is my son a genius | 10 |
| is my daughter a genius |
There is a clear 40-point difference between searches for gifted girls (70) and boys (110); and a 20-point difference for obesity (50/30).
France:
| Keyword | Searches |
| enfant surdoué | 1600 |
| enfant en surpoids | 210 |
| ma fille est en surpoids | 30 |
| comment savoir si mon enfant est surdoué | 30 |
| comment savoir si mon fils est surdoué | 20 |
| mon fils est surdoué | 10 |
| mon fils est en surpoids | |
| ma fille est surdouée | |
| comment savoir si ma fille est surdouée | |
| comment savoir si ma fille est en surpoids | |
| comment savoir si mon fils est en surpoids |
In France, the question is formulated differently with no searches for “is my daughter overweight” or “how to know if my daughter overweight”. However, the expression “my daughter is overweight” is typed 30 times a month vs. only 0-10 times for boys. Boys feature in 20 monthly searches for “is my son a genius” vs. 0-10 times for girls (representing potential differences of 30/20).
United Kingdom
| Keyword | Searches |
| is my child overweight | 170 |
| is my child gifted | 90 |
| is my son gifted | 20 |
| is my daughter overweight | 20 |
| is my daughter gifted | 10 |
| is my son overweight | 10 |
| is my son a genius | 10 |
| is my daughter a genius |
For the British, obesity seems to be a more popular topic that being gifted. But, for both topics, the difference between girls and boys is only about 10 monthly searches, making the United Kingdom the least biased of the three countries.
Everybody Lies: Google search requests and political stances
In Everybody Lies, p10 reveals an important SEO lesson in relation to Google searches during the US elections:
Our research suggests that a person is significantly more likely to put the candidate they support first in a search that includes both candidates’ names (Page 10)
This trend holds true in France if we look at the search terms typed during the recent presidential elections:
| Keyword | Searches |
| debat macron le pen | 90500 |
| debat le pen macron | 9900 |
| débat hollande sarkozy | 210 |
| débat sarkozy hollande | 170 |
Does this mean that brands hoping to target their competitors’ customers should try to be well ranked for searches beginning with their name? An interesting idea that’s definitely worth testing! This could also help determine market share – the following example suggests that Android, Chrome and Sonos are stronger than their competitors in France:
| Keyword | Searches |
| android ou ios | 590 |
| ios ou android | 480 |
| chrome ou firefox | 320 |
| firefox ou chrome | 260 |
| sonos ou bose | 320 |
| bose ou sonos | 260 |
Social science is becoming a real science. And this new, real science is poised to improve our lives. (p. 272).
In conclusion, and as Seth suggests in his book, Big Data has a lot to teach us when applied to social sciences, and SEO consultants could be the ideal partners for researchers.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions, comments or thoughts about this article.
It would be interesting to analyse Google searches for Germany, Spain, Italy and other countries. Any volunteers?
