You’ve likely heard of the phrase, “Google is your friend”. It’s been around for a long time, and sometimes it was a snarky thing to say when someone wanted to know something they should’ve already knew, or you didn’t want to take the time to get out your smartphone and Google a question yourself for that same person.
It was also a cute joke because it referred to how often so many of us turn to Google for answers. From what day of the week certain holidays fall on, to comparing dollars to pounds, or inches to centimeters. Or to find a recipe, or find the website to a local business or organization. Or to get medical advice so you can diagnose yourself, much to the chagrin of every licensed medical professional out there. Or to get your news and information on what’s happening in the world. At that point, that phrase is no longer a joke, because Google is not your friend.
We like to think Google is helping us find information from the very moment we click on “search” after typing in a few words of what we are searching for. Google's search engine will come up with the most reliable websites for information, and after checking out those websites, we will have the answers we are seeking.
Problem is, that is not the case at all. It probably never was.
Starting in 1997, Google aimed to “organize the world’s information’ by “ranking searches based on the number and quality of the incoming links” - as per Wired.com. As time went on, Google kept developing their algorithm. In 2005, according to Wired, Google gave users the option to follow their search behavior so the algorithm could give users the results they want to see. By 2009, social media posts were added to the search results.
By the way, in case you are wondering what an algorithm is, it is defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology as “a computable set of steps to achieve a desired result.” According to this TEDTalk by Kevin Slavin of MIT, algorithms are “math that computers use to decide stuff”. That’s saying a lot.
According to this Wired.com article from February 2010, (which was where the above information came from), Google sought to step their algorithm up to the competition. Other search engines were in mix and social media sites, like Facebook, were developing their own algorithms to rival Google’s secret sauce. This led to Google creating five algorithms with five different purposes. Neil Patel, who has been recognized by Forbes and the Wall Street Journal for his marketing expertise, explains what each of these algorithms are. He also explains their true purpose: “[s]earch engines are built to serve people.” Google’s Distinguished Engineer, Ben Gomes, told FastCompany, “Our goal has been: Put the user first, and everything else will follow.”
Put the user first, serve the people.
Does that mean Google is serving the news business? Is it in the business of informing the masses? Is it’s mission to give people neutral, well-balanced information that they should know, or is it all about giving its users what they want to see and/or hear?
The way algorithms work is that it follows a user’s activities and behavior while browsing online or even on an app. It takes note of the websites you regularly go to, what you click on, and what you search for. By gathering all this information, the algorithm starts to provide search results based on your past search behaviors. Over time, it starts to provide search results that you want, not what you need.
Do you lean left or right with your news? Are you for or against gun regulation? Do you believe climate change is real or not? Do you believe George Soros is behind every leftist movement there is? Do you believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is pulling the strings with various governments worldwide? Do you suspect COVID19 was created to ruin the global economy? Do you believe in the QAnon conspiracy theories, or do you believe our government is made up of reptilians wearing human disguises (that’s a real conspiracy theory)?
Google is going to give you what you want. It is going to give you the websites that you want to see, because it already knows what you are interested in and what you want to see. So, it will give you what you want, in order for you to keep coming back for more and Google itself will remain as the main search engine source in the world.
Does that sound like a friend to you? Aren’t friends supposed to tell you the truth at some point, and even use your trust for their success?
Doesn’t sound like a friend much, right? Sounds more like a prescriber giving someone a chance to indulge in their opioid addiction, or your local crack dealer, how ever way it can be described.
There’s a lot on how AI, algorithms, data, and so much in the tech world, is used against us rather than for us, despite what it appears to be on the surface. There’s a few documentaries out there on how scary the Internet is in monitoring our behavior. On Netflix, there’s The Great Hack and The Social Dilemma. I haven’t seen the first one yet, since it seems do depressing and scary. But I do intend to watch the latter documentary, and see how it is, despite how frightening it would be.
But hey, Halloween is upon us, and it is the time for scary movies, right?
How about you? What do you think about algorithms and how prevalent they are online? Please comment below.
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