

This Story is part of a series.
Search engines (SEs) — and Google in particular — have immense power. We are only just beginning to realize how strongly the commercialized and consumer-driven content they present to us influences our personal choices and shapes politics, society and economies. Can we untangle ourselves from the SE-defined web, and learn to navigate it ourselves?
The Internet is truly a gift to humanity. It democratizes information and knowledge. But with our relatively newfound freedom to plumb the depths of collective intelligence (regardless of place or time) comes the responsibility to protect that liberty—to ensure that we really are getting full access. As I note in my previous blog, it’s becoming increasingly clear that this is not the case. Geography, context, personal data, consumer behavior, search advertising and less-than-transparent search algorithms all impact the results.
While search neutrality (that’s search results free of social, political or financial agendas) may not be a realistic expectation right now, we can put some checks and balances in place ourselves to get closer to this point.
Are search engines biased?
Search engines’ business models make it imperative that they meet the needs of users—irrelevant or low quality search results will cost them their credibility and their marketshare. But they must also meet the needs of advertisers if they wish to drive revenues. We thus need to be aware of how the agendas of big business—namely earnings, survival, and the innate competitiveness of commercial entities—influence the search results we receive. SE’s use of new technologies also impact results.
How can we keep SEs ‘honest’?
It requires all of us to be explorative, to follow our curiosity and to constantly question the myriad possibilities and opportunities that emerge from our use of technology.
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The realities and potentials have to be thought about collectively, carefully and ethically.
Checks & balances … and an opportunity
How can we can work towards making search engines of the future more transparent, agile, collaborative rather than purely consumer driven?
How does access to global data impact your life, your opinions, your job? What are the implications of SEs’ current behavior on the younger generation? What about their education? What about “free speech”? And the big question: How we can navigate around what may be a growing monopoly on data by big, digital business?
I’d love to hear your experiences, opinions and ideas. Continue reading part 3 of my series.
Oliver is obsessed about creating, testing and developing new services and products that change our industries for the better. He believes that we shouldn’t take the world for granted and that there are endless opportunities for new beginnings and new ideas that can transform everyday lives.
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