The frightening truth about Google Search

by Phil Schneider
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Get ready to be freaked out by this video. It claims to present the real “truth about Google search.” But, I’m not wholly convinced. The basic claim is that Google doctors the search results somehow in a way that basically shifts opinions on major issues. How? Via the suggested search terms that come up when you begin to type up something. I think this is an exaggerated argument. Let’s analyze why.

Is Google a modern-day Big Brother?

Google came on to the internet scene and within a few years basically eclipsed all other search websites – especially Yahoo and AOL. But it didn’t merely win the battle for search – it became a verb. Once people began to say – “just google it,” it was clear that google had become much more than just a search engine. It changed the way we receive information. The flow of information became one where most people’s primary form of discovery of information quickly became google, wikipedia, and other online resources – where Google was the #1 key to the process of accessing all knowledge. That’s a big deal. It means that Google became the #1 resource for information for the online world.

But, it’s not that simple. Social Media began to evolve a few years later and became a major force in and of itself. Facebook largely won the war for market share in that battle and evolved as a major force for information that competed with Google for the attention of the masses. The main reason why arguments that say that Google has accrued too much power are incorrect is because Facebook is so powerful too. Ont eh flip side, the main reason why the arguments are correct is that Google and Facebook both seem to support a rather progressive agenda. So, as long as the two titans of internet attention do not coordinate messaging, but continue to compete for the minds of the masses, it’s OK – even if they tend to be similar in world outlook. But if they join forces in a united front, then that should be considered a red flag and they should be stopped before they monopilize too much control over information flow in our lives.

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