COVID Forces Google To Show Its Work And Cites Sources
August 10, 2021
Do you remember in math class when you were told to show you work or when writing an essay you had to cite your sources? Google has decided to do the same thing with its search results says Today Online in the article, “Google Is Starting To Tell You How It Found Search Results.” Google wants to share with users why they are shown particular results. Soon Google will display an option within search results that allows users to see how results were matched to their query. Google wants users to know where their search results come from to better determine relevancy.
Google might not respect users’ privacy, but they do want to offer better transparency in search results. Google wants to explain itself and help its users make better decisions:
“Google has been making changes to give users more context about the results its search engine provides. Earlier this year it introduced panels to tell users about the sources of the information they are seeing. It has also started warning users when a topic is rapidly evolving and search results might not be reliable.”
Google search makes money by selling ads and sponsoring content in search results. Google labels any sponsored results with an “ad” tag. However, one can assume that Google does push more sponsored content into search results than it tells users. Helping users understand content and make informative choices, is a great way to educate users. Google isn’t being altruistic, though. Misinformation about vaccines and COVID-19 has spread like wildfire since the past US presidential administration. Users have demanded that Google, Facebook, and other tech companies be held accountable as they are platforms used to spread misinformation. Google sharing the why behind search queries is a start, but how many people will actually read them?
Whitney Grace, August 10, 2021
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