Topic: Media
Google Meltdown? Where's Ron? Is Google is the be-all and end-all of search engines? Recently, this "mother of all search engines" couldn't find Ron Paul!by creator
(libertarian)
Friday, January 11, 2008
♣ There are a lot of people, myself included, who might have a hard time imagining life without Google. The big search engine company has become so ubiquitous, so all-pervasive, that it's very name has become a verb -- and an imperative verb at that! -- as in, "Google Ron Paul."
Well, maybe Google's not quite ready for prime time yet...
When I "googled" Ron Paul at http://news.google.com/ today, I received the following rather surprising response screen:
Your search - "ron paul" - did not match any documents.
Suggestions:
Make sure all words are spelled correctly. Try different keywords. Try more general keywords. Try Google Blog Search.
Also, you can browse today's headlines on the Google News homepage.
Who would have thunk it? While I'm sure there is some simple underlying technical explanation for this glitch, perhaps it should give us in the "New (i.e. internet) Media" some pause!
If Google is able to report, even momentarily, that there are "no Ron Paul stories," it would also be able to report less than "all" Ron Paul stories. It could report only selective Ron Paul stories, for instance, the ones that use certain keywords like "kook" or "fringe." You get the idea.
Far be it from me to suggest that Google today is actually doing any of that. I just want to raise the spectre of possible revisionism. If it's technically possible, and economically feasible, you can bet the financial powers behind the throne are already at work on it.
As a matter of fact, I recently learned Google already does filter news according to their own purposes. You can read the present (published) criteria at this link. Most of the criteria listed there make sense when you consider that there are a vast number of news articles that must be automatically judged and classified continuously. The interesting thing to note, however, is that a powerful automated system such as this could certainly have its criteria engine "adjusted" to favor whatever biases the owners may represent. Does a private entity like Google have a right to do so? Of course they do. Should we be aware that this is possible and have a backup plan for distributing real news? Yes!
We should hope for and encourage the development of alternative search mechanisms, lest the "Google Channel" become just another new but potentially also controlled arm of the "Mainstream Media," another FOX, CNN, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, etc.
We should also foster the development of alternative, privately - even individually - owned network mechanisms. Never again should we allow ourselves to become so completely dependent on one method of distribution that it's availability and reliability become an underlying and unquestionable assumption, as that of traditional "news" media in the mind of the average man.
The views expressed in this
article are those of creator only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. creator is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
I agree. I watch the debate, then I go online and update the google news link with "Ron Paul" (In quotes to filter out all the new stories with two people named ron or paul, seems like a lot of them latley.) I also sort by date so the newest ones show up first. It seems I now have to go through a couple screens of Ron Paul hate speech.. complaining about hate speech... go figure. I have posted a couple times online, but mostly I just like to read the stories. I noticed a big decline in the last few weeks of Ron Paul stories. I also voted in the fox cell phone poll. I have never voted in the cell phone polls due to the charges, but decided it was worth it the night of the SC debate. The media is making all Ron Paul supporters sound like kooks. I take direct offence to that point. I am not a 9/11 truther. I am not a a member of the KKK. The only things I use tin foil for is baking in the oven. I want my freedom, and I am sick and tired of my hard work being stolen from me to pay for failure over and over again. I am sick and tired of no one being able to OWN LAND outright.
Creator, this is a very good early warning of where google or any other major search engine can go. I am too connected to the googlization of the nation and now ponder to what end my connection may reach. I'm not sure who the revolutionary mind will be that can develop the type of search engine which will be free of this concern yet hopefully one will. As always, you give a good stirring of my brain juices, always appreciated.
Posted By: William Breeck
Date: 2008-02-08 22:26:31
I wouldn't go so far as to call youtube neo-cons goerge the videos may have been targeted by someone who used their link inapproprately voilating the youtube TOS and thusly causing the videos to be pulled. I have noticed this with other videos that are not political, like clips from popular T.V. shows or a popular videos that may have been tagged wrong, I don't think they would go out of their to get rid of another copy of the video if someone else put it up there following the TOS by the dot. I will however suggest that the persons whom may have caused the videos to violate the TOS of youtube are in fact neo-con, but that may be going to far as well, because it could have just as well have been an innoccent Ron Paul supporter trying to share the video inapproprately, but I digress I am rambling now and will end my line of thought.
I have noticed only smear articles of Ron Paul lately. A decent, credible man - what a shame. This is an example of what is becoming of our society...what humans do to each other is the biggest disgrace of all. Without Ron Paul leading this country, we continue down the path to ruin....which we are already heading, if you havent noticed...gee, anyone check the dollar? America, you are in big trouble now. And, we have been warned.
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