Investigating Google's search engine : ethics, algorithms, and the machines built to read us / Rosie Graham.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Graham, Rosie, 1990- author.

Contributor:

Esther F. Kantrowitz & Lionel Kantrowitz Collection Endowed Fund.

Series:

Bloomsbury studies in digital cultures

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Google.

Web search engines.

Internet searching.

Physical Description:

xiii, 238 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Bloomsbury Academic, 2023.

Summary:

"What do search engines do? And what should they do? These questions seem relatively simple but are actually urgent social and ethical issues. The influence of Google's search engine is enormous. It does not only shape how Internet users find pages on the World Wide Web, but how we think as individuals, how we collectively remember the past, and how we communicate with one another. This book explores the impact of search engines within contemporary digital culture, focusing on the social, cultural, and philosophical influence of Google. Using case studies like Google's role in the rise of fake news, instances of sexist and misogynistic Autocomplete suggestions, and search queries relating to LGBTQ+ values, it offers original evidence to intervene practically in existing debates. It also addresses other understudied aspects of Google's influence, including the profound implications of its revenue generation for wider society. In doing this, this important book helps to evaluate the real cost of search engines on an individual and global scale"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: Investigating Google's Search Engine

Understanding Google Queries and the Problem of Intentions

Google's Impact on Cognition and Memory: Histories, Concepts, and Technosocial Practices

Autocomplete: Stereotypes, Biases, and Designed Discrimination

Google's Search Engine Results: What is a Relevant Result?

The Real Cost of Search Engines: Digital Advertising, Linguistic Capitalism, and the Rise of Fake News

Conclusion: What if Search Engines Were Actually Built to Benefit Users?

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Esther F. Kantrowitz & Lionel Kantrowitz Collection Endowed Fund.

ISBN:

9781350325197

1350325198

9781350325203

1350325201

OCLC:

1308394605

Publisher Number:

99994301463