A Disappointing Sex Search in Google Underlines Poor Sex Education

My sex search on Google in preparation for my weekly Twitter Spaces Content in The Sexuality Space provided frustration. I wanted to learn what people want to know about sex. I discovered one interesting article by Dr. Chris Fulton: The Most Frequently Searched Sex Questions in the US.

I loved her enthusiasm and contrast to research by Kinsey and sample size compared to Google Trends and analytics.

It made for an interesting read but caused me to ponder some basic questions and wrestle with the disappointment of basic sex search information when I searched the question people wanted to know.

Research of Sex Search Highlights

Let’s look at the article. It article broke down the research into two areas, Questions Asked and Phrases Researched. There were 12 top questions and 22 phrases identified. I used this information to consider some thinking and teaching processes for sex education.

Questions Asked

Of the twelve questions identified, ten were “How” questions and they were the majority of the sex questions. The exception was one what and where question. What is oral sex and Where is the G-spot?

As a sex educator, I’m always interested in the information someone receives. Did it come from a reputable site, providing accurate and scientific information?

So, I decided to google myself and see what came up. I wanted to know what you got when you googled it?

I used The Number One Question: How do you have sex?

Results: I got tips. Beginners Guide. Structural body positioning. Interesting perspectives, but not holistic. Only physical. Lots of Humor.

What was missing?

For me what was missing was the stage setting for sexual activity or the meaning of sex?

Where was the discussion of context?

Is sex the best activity to get what a person is looking for?

Sex Phrases Searched

Was I surprised to find the top five sex phrases searched were: Porn. Sex. XXX. Penis. Vagina?

No. It speaks to the basic information of a heterosexual nature. See in detail what happens between a penis and a vagina.

I categorized the other phrases.

• Sex Activities: Blowjob. Masturbation. Bondage. Anal Sex. S&M. French kiss. Sex positions. Threesome.
• Curiosity: Kinky. Foot fetishism.
• Body knowledge: Clitoris. G-spot.
• Sexual Health: STD.
• Identity: Gay sex. Lesbian Sex. Bisexual.

The part that warmed my heart was folks searching for the term sex education and best sex ed.

Take-Aways

What do people really want to know? They are curious and it shows in the sex search questions and phrases. When faced with no comprehensive sex education, they go to the places, they believe will get the answers.

I come back to the process of how they asked questions, what and how and not why. Is this an age thing? Have we created a generation of folks who want a checklist, how do I do the steps, and nothing more? That is a recipe for unfulfilling sexual encounters. We can do better. We can show folks how to focus on the holistic nature of sex.

The Google searcher has no way to assess the reliability in fact and science of the information found. The article that emerged spoke to the use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in the posts. Since the articles were not by certified sex educators or academically trained sex researchers, it speaks to the lack of SEO of their articles.

But I continue to assess the information from a process and macro-orientation. What is the bigger perspective or what is the real question? Essentially, what is the question behind the question? That’s the one I’m always looking for.

What about you?

Check out the resources provided in #TheSexualitySpace The Most Googled Sex Questions You can also listen to this conversation.