In January 2023, Brian Walshe was charged with the murder of his wife, Ana. Investigators found the search "10 ways to dispose of a dead body" on his computer. (Oooh that sounds guilty, right?)
Last week, police revealed Carlee Russell (a woman who was reported missing and later admitted her kidnapping claim was a hoax) searched bus schedules and how to take money from a register without being caught prior to her two-day disappearance. (Why don't these people clear their Internet search history for crying out loud?)
You've probably read other stories where a suspect's Internet searches have been submitted as evidence. I don't know about you, but the disclosure of my Internet search history would be embarrassing, so you can bet I'm steering clear of murder-y stuff, kidnapping plots, and the like.
And by embarrassing, I mean people would think I have all kinds of kinks and health problems like erectile dysfunction. I'm one of those people who searches almost everything that crosses my path. A friend tells me someone she knows is dealing with erectile dysfunction and I'm googling all the causes and natural remedies. (And now the Internet thinks I don't get any. Sad.)
I read a word in a news article once that starts with Hen and ends with tai. I searched it to find out what it meant and had to immediately delete the search from my history.
(I'll save you the search. It's some sekshually dubious hanky panky).
I want to know about all the things, like what each poop color means. (If your poop is yellow, you should probably make a doctor's appointment, by the way.)
My social media ads are hysterical. I search every question that crosses my mind, and because many times it has nothing to do with me, I've sent my ads on a wild goose chase. (The Internet deduces I need Hentai to fix my erectile dysfunction, obvi.)
There is a clear explanation for my Internet search behavior. I'm insatiably curious because I have a natural strength called "Input."
What is Input?
"You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information -- words, facts, books, and quotations -- or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs.
"Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity." Source: Gallup.com
Sound like you? Or anyone you know?
While Input causes people to be curious and resourceful, it also earns them the reputation as people who ask too many questions in meetings, or kids who were "too nosy."
People with Input are also misunderstood as showing off or trying to be the center of attention when asking questions in learning environments like workshops, training, or school classrooms.
Wikipedia is a hell of a rabbit hole for people with the Input strength. For example, we search people to see if they're still alive, or how they died. Wikipedia says, "So-and-so was an American actor...."
Ah, was an American actor. He's dead. And then it happens.
When did he die?
How old was he?
Was he married?
Wait. He was married to so-and-so? I had no idea! Is she still alive? (Awww, no.)
When did she die? How did she die? So-and-so was her father?
What was that movie I saw where he was a killer?
The struggle is real, folks. (Curse you Wikipedia and all your meddling hyperlinks!)
A quick Internet search starts with "difference between ice cream and custard" (Answer: custard is full of love and magic and all that is good) and forty-five minutes later I'm reading 60 Funny Butt Jokes to Make You Laugh in 2023.
What do you call a killer with two butts? An assassin.
When I read stories about a suspect's Internet searches I don't think, "Oh, so guilty!" I think, "Well, an Internet search in isolation doesn't mean someone is guilty of a crime any more than I'm struggling with ED or yellow poop."
(OK, yes, I had yellow poop. And I might have shot the sheriff. But I did NOT shoot the deputy.)
It's common for people to misunderstand the motivation behind why you do things - especially when they're different than you. They evaluate what it would mean for them to behave a certain way based on who they are: their strengths, values, skills, interests, personality, and life experiences.
Others can assume we, the Input people, are not understanding the gist of what we've been told because we ask questions. Sometimes we're truly "asking for a friend." Other times we're simply curious and want more information. We like to dig a little deeper or paint the big picture.
Sometimes we don't search "how long does it take a body to decompose" because we have one in our basement (OK, Brian Walshe is guilty as sin) but because someone asked a question, and we don't like to leave questions unanswered.
Weird? Maybe. Then again, aren't we all?
What's a tendency you have and people have misunderstood the "why" behind your actions?
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Cover photo credit: Dominik Van Opdenbosch