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https://theconversation.com/there-is-in-fact-a-wrong-way-to-use-google-here-are-5-tips-to-set-you-on-the-right-path-179099>
"I was recently reading comments on a post related to COVID-19, and saw a reply
I would classify as misinformation, bordering on conspiracy. I couldn’t help
but ask the commenter for evidence.
Their response came with some web links and “do your own research”. I then
asked about their research methodology, which turned out to be searching for
specific terms on Google.
As an academic, I was intrigued. Academic research aims to establish the truth
of a phenomenon based on evidence, analysis and peer review.
On the other hand, a search on Google provides links with content written by
known or unknown authors, who may or may not have knowledge in that area, based
on a ranking system that either follows the preferences of the user, or the
collective popularity of certain sites.
In other words, Google’s algorithms can penalise the truth for not being
popular.
Google Search’s ranking system has a fraction of a second to sort through
hundreds of billions of web pages, and index them to find the most relevant and
(ideally) useful information.
Somewhere along the way, mistakes get made. And it’ll be a while before these
algorithms become foolproof – if ever. Until then, what can you do to make sure
you’re not getting the short end of the stick?"
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
