How often do you use search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing throughout the day? Current statistics say there are about 40,000 searches every second, so if you’re apart of the majority, chances are you probably use the internet to get most (if not all) of your information intake throughout the day. It’s not surprising why- search engines are a great way to get a quick answer to a question, simple definitions, current events, news, and a plethora of other handy information. However, you might be surprised to know that the information you’re getting online is actually tailored specifically to you, and it could even be censored by the platform you’re using.
Online sites thrive on gaining information of their visitors, and using that information to up sales and keep them constantly coming back. Obviously the best way for search engines to get their viewers to come back is by showing them information they most want to see, and this is where things get a little worrisome for those of us who use these sites.
By trying to show us information that we are more likely to click on, search engines use our past history (the articles and websites that we’ve clicked on in the past) to make a completely customized search results page. This means that search engines are more prone to show you certain things, and completely block out other things. While this isn’t all bad, as it helps us find what we might be specifically looking for, there are troubling problems with this system as well.
The problem with this is that you are getting many sites and a lot of information filtered out, and all that we’re left with is the content that relates- in part- to what we’ve already seen. We might be getting new information, but is it really that new? And, if those search engines are able to filter out information with a simple algorithm, think of all the information they can specifically choose to filter out on their own.
Does it bother you to know that most content you could be seeing is filtered out and away from your viewing options? In this era where questioning sources and all information is essential, it probably should.
