Search Engines

Does it matter where you search?

  1. Open the search engine you usually use, the DuckDuckGo search engine, and another search engine such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing. Search for a phrase, like "Internet search engines" or "New York restaurants." Do you get the same search results at each site? Try a search related to politics, such as "Barack Obama."
  2. Read dontbubble.us.
  3. Discuss with a partner, then share with the class. How do you think a search engine works? What algorithm might the search engine use to decide what to show you?
  4. In Blown to Bits, the authors claim that "search is a new form of control over information" (p. 111) and "search is power" (p. 145). Why might it be important to think of the social implications behind searching on the Internet?
 
  1. Google keeps track of searches. You can check out the day's trending topics or the top searches of 2014 (or any year back to 2004) in the United States (or globally).