The Arsenal of Google Bombs
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
bIn reading today’s articles on Social-Cyber/Internet Constructions, I was particularly struck by Clifford’s article titled, “Deconstructing Google Bombs: A Breach of Symbolic Power or just a Goofy Prank?,” as it was something that I can see the effects of in my daily life. In a time in which "Google" is used as a verb, the amount to which the internet is absorbed into daily life is unquestionably large. Because of the ease of access and fast response time, internet search engines, particularly Google, have become a part of the facts of life. Many are led to question, “What would I do without google?” This power held by Google illustrates the degree to which online action can alter the constructions of reality. When the results of a search pop up almost instantaneously, one quickly glances through the first few results, pulling any pertinent information from these sites, trusting the information without any further investigation. However, Google Bombing reminds me of the political undertones present in nearly every aspect of life. Through Bombing, the ranking system of Google is being undermined, thus uprooting the pertinent order of the results. One must questions the relative importance of the information retrieved from these results, as the most relevnat site could be number 123,456 on the sites returned due to the politics involved. What effects does Google Bombing have on the constructions of reality? As millions of people view the first return queries on a search, this information becomes their body of knowledge regarding the subject. Thus, as they go out and disseminate this information to other individuals, a certain construction of reality, which was originally constructed in the online arena becomes common social knowledge. If Google Bombing becomes a common action to alter the rankings of the return websites on a search, this construction of social reality will instead become an online construction of political reality, with a continual battle of Bombings and Counter-Bombings in the online world.
bAt what point can we no longer rely on these search engines to provide relevant results?
bIs this an issue that needs to be addressed in order to prevent a false construction of social reality?
bAt what point can we no longer rely on these search engines to provide relevant results?
bIs this an issue that needs to be addressed in order to prevent a false construction of social reality?
posted by Erika at 12:14 AM
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