Ten years ago my phone used to ring a lot with questions from new mothers. But in the past 5+ years, my phone hasn’t been ringing. People close to me are still having babies, but why call me when you can just Google your many questions about your newborn?
Once I became aware of this, I noticed myself doing the same thing. I Google when I used to call. All my questions answered in seconds. And yes, Google can easily inform me about how much my three-month-old should be sleeping. But this is my concern, Google’s not going to tell me what I really need to know. Google’s not going to tell me that I’m doing a great job, or remind me to be gentle to myself, or point out that I’m in the hardest stage and that I’ll absolutely get through this difficult time.
So I’ve been making an effort lately to Whoogle before I Google. Who might know the answer to my question about photography, cooking, health or parenting? Who might be able to give me, not just data, but experience, know-how, compassion, love? And just as importantly, who might need to get that call even more than I need the information? I can still use Google to search up facts like, ‘What’s the earliest age you can leave your kids home alone without getting arrested?’ But, when it comes to other life questions, I’m Whoogling instead of Googling.