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(Disclaimer - I used to work for Google) > search results biased by my previous queries would that have to be a bad thing? I understand it prioritises search

(Disclaimer - I used to work for Google) > search results biased by my previous queries would that have to be a bad thing? I understand it prioritises search results near you area, or remembers things like whether you're more into the country or the animal when you search for [turkey]. I think concerns about the online filter bubble can be a bit overblown. We have the same thing in real life too: e.g. I like to hang out with people who share my world view rather than seek out those with opposing views.

krisdol 10y ago
Personally, I hate it. I only use google when DuckDuckGo results aren't up to date yet and every time I do I'm reminded of how much I have to fight with the search engine (have to do search tools -> verbatim half the time)
r3bl 10y ago
> I like to hang out with people who share my world view rather than seek out those with opposing views. Well I would like to research the arguments from both sides in order to form an informative opinion. If my search engine does not give me that but instead shows me only results I would agree with initially on the top, what's the point of using a search engine in the first place?
throwawaymaroon 10y ago
this right here is evidence that it is delusion rather than malice that drives google's engineers to their intrusiveness.
Artoemius 10y ago
> I like to hang out with people who share my world view rather than seek out those with opposing views. That's an example of a well-known cognitive bias: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias Being biased is not a good thing if you care about knowing what is true and what isn't. As an example, someone who is into astrology will have less opportunities to learn that it's all bullshit if Google continues to do this disservice to people. With years, we grow intellectually. When I was about 13 or 14, I was interested in astrology too. It would be stupid if those idiotic years would still haunt me in my google searches.

krisdol 10y ago

Personally, I hate it. I only use google when DuckDuckGo results aren't up to date yet and every time I do I'm reminded of how much I have to fight with the search engine (have to do search tools -> verbatim half the time)

r3bl 10y ago

> I like to hang out with people who share my world view rather than seek out those with opposing views. Well I would like to research the arguments from both sides in order to form an informative opinion. If my search engine does not give me that but instead shows me only results I would agree with initially on the top, what's the point of using a search engine in the first place?

throwawaymaroon 10y ago

this right here is evidence that it is delusion rather than malice that drives google's engineers to their intrusiveness.

Artoemius 10y ago

> I like to hang out with people who share my world view rather than seek out those with opposing views. That's an example of a well-known cognitive bias: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias Being biased is not a good thing if you care about knowing what is true and what isn't. As an example, someone who is into astrology will have less opportunities to learn that it's all bullshit if Google continues to do this disservice to people. With years, we grow intellectually. When I was about 13 or 14, I was interested in astrology too. It would be stupid if those idiotic years would still haunt me in my google searches.