＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
I’ve been hearing the term “ego searching” a lot lately.
The other day, while watching the TV show “Leave it to Akko!”, Sakura Inoue, a TV personality who is a “political nerd” or rather a “politician fan,” commented, in her predictions for the Suga Cabinet’s ministerial appointments, that “Kono Taro has strong ego searching skills.”
Indeed, if you search online for “Taro Kono’s strong ego-searching skills,” many articles will turn up.
She appears to be a “politician-loving celebrity,” much like Haruka Christine, who was once a frequent TV personality and now retired, but whose hobby was visiting the Diet and who also “stalked Diet members.” She has actually taken photos with prominent politicians and seems to be well-versed in various political anecdotes.
This time, instead of focusing on Sakura Inoue, I would like to provide an easy-to-understand explanation of “ego-searching.”
1. What is ego-searching?
“Ego-searching” (abbreviated as “ego-sa”) is “searching to find out what the public thinks of you, the companies you’re involved with, your services, etc.” It means “self-searching” or “self-searching.”
Specifically, it is “the act of using a search engine to look up your real name, handle, website name, or blog name to check your own reputation online.”
“Ego searching” is not a Japanese-English term, but is of English origin, and is also known as “egosearching” or “egosurfing.”
While ego searching can sometimes be a way to discover personal information that may have been posted on a webpage without one’s knowledge, or to discover slanderous comments one has made online, if it goes too far, it can lead to “internet addiction.”
Before the internet became as widespread as it is today, actors and actresses paid attention to the critical reviews published in newspapers and magazines about the plays, films, and television dramas they appeared in, and writers seemed to care about criticism and reviews of their works as much as they did about book sales.
While it’s true that receiving praise and positive reviews can make us feel good, it’s human nature to feel angry and depressed when criticized or belittled.
There have also been reports of suicides due to online “bullying” and “flaming” attacks. I think it’s important to keep ego searching in moderation, and in some cases to “block out information” from time to time to maintain a calm mind and not lose sight of yourself.
As an aside, the antonym of “ego search” is “public search” (abbreviated as “pubsa”). This means “searching for specific people, such as celebrities or friends, on the internet.”
2. How to do an ego search
There are two ways to search: using a search engine or using social media like Twitter, LINE, or Instagram.
(1) Using a Search Engine
Searching for “name (personal name, company name, service name) + reputation” will find articles and posts about your reputation (your company, service).
(2) Using Social Media
Simply enter related keywords, such as your name (domain name), your company’s name, or your service name, into the search box at the top of Twitter.
There is also a website/app called “Yahoo! Real-time Search for Twitter Search.” Open this app and enter the search term you want to search for in the search box at the top of the initial screen. A list of results will be displayed in an easy-to-read format.
Note that the person posting on Twitter will not know that you are ego searching.
② LINE
If you find it troublesome to perform ego searches using the Twitter search box every time, we recommend using LINE.
To do this, you will need to download the IFTTT app, but using it will automatically notify you of your ego search results.
Twitter is primarily for text posts, while Instagram is primarily for photo posts.
Enter the keywords you want to search for in Instagram’s search bar to display matching Instagram posts.
3. Pros and Cons of Ego Searching
(1) Pros
① It lets you know the public’s level of interest.
② It lets you find out honest opinions and real reactions.
③ It allows companies to understand their company’s reputation without incurring time or cost, leading to cost savings.
④ Negative opinions can also lead to the discovery of new products and services that are useful to the company.
⑤ It helps spread positive word of mouth.
“Horiemon” often “retweets” people who tweet positive things about his company’s products and people who have purchased his books.
⑥ It increases your followers and gives you feedback.
If you can find people who tweet about your blog posts through ego searching, you can follow them and communicate with them.
(2) Disadvantages
① You may come across slanderous comments, which can be psychologically stressful.
② It only involves ego searching.
③ Since the results are mainly from people who frequently use the internet, opinions may be biased.