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You raise an interesting point, but the comment was about the article itself and the thesis in the article.
by brighteyes 9y ago
You raise an interesting point, but the comment was about the article itself and the thesis in the article.
- grzm 9y agoFWIW, I read the article as addressing the issue in general. The headline and lead-in are Google-specific (as well as many of the examples), which is unfortunate in the sense that it's arguably click-baity and leads to arguments like this, that the thesis is wrong because it's not just Google. I understand why it's done, as providing a familiar, well-understood context helps people better understand what the author is getting at. Examples of how the author is approaching the topic more generally are found in headings such as "Content and Creators" and phrases like "Information monopolies such as Google". The author's book is likewise entitled "Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism", not "How Google Reinforces Racism". I agree that results in Bing and Duck Duck Go, for example, currently show a lot of the flaws describe in the article. But the point (as much as the headline may lead you to believe) isn't that it's only Google.
- brighteyes 9y agorayiner wasn't just bringing up Google vs other companies, though. rayiner was saying that there is a "coupled system" and Google just reflects external racism, and then Google's search results amplify racism. The article did not mention anything about those interesting points, which might be worthy of bringing up and discussing, but it seems very unfair to accuse the top comment of "not getting the point" about them, when they are rayiner's insights that were only now presented.