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> Google accurately reflecting the gist of the content and information available on the web I wouldn't assume that Google's search results reflect anything but

> Google accurately reflecting the gist of the content and information available on the web I wouldn't assume that Google's search results reflect anything but an attempt to bring you back by showing you results you find valuable, and to monetize your visit. > scrubbing it to better reflect a chosen set of cultural sensitivities? Google (and any other mass market vendor) removes a lot of things that people don't want to see, including scams, X-rated content, brutality, etc. People searching for information on their dog don't want to see bestiality. These aren't arbitrarily chosen preferences or mere "sensitivities", but social norms which in many cases have a strong moral foundation.

philwelch 9y ago
"Social norms" can be either descriptive or prescriptive. Descriptive norms are norms that reflect society as it is, and Google doesn't need to do anything about them, because the society that produces millions of web pages with cute pictures of puppies or helpful information about what not to feed your dog for every single web page with dog porn will result in a SERP that is overwhelmingly weighted towards that information. Conversely--haven't these same people been telling us for years that we live in a racist society? So why are they surprised that a search engine of a racist society's web pages returns racist results?
- forapurpose 9y ago
  I'm surprised myself that someone on HN is really claiming that Google doesn't edit search results for all sorts of reasons, including for purposes of social norms, of any sort, and social responsibility. In fact, every person and organization does that. I doubt there are any social interactions where people don't behave according to a set of rules. > why are they surprised Nobody said they are surprised; that's not relevant. They are trying to solve a problem, just like people who are working to resolve the problems of cancer, gun violence, and bugs in Firefox.
  - philwelch 9y ago
    I'm not saying they don't edit search results (clearly they do); I'm saying that it's worth reexamining the expectation that they should edit search results for the sake of political agendas.

philwelch 9y ago

"Social norms" can be either descriptive or prescriptive. Descriptive norms are norms that reflect society as it is, and Google doesn't need to do anything about them, because the society that produces millions of web pages with cute pictures of puppies or helpful information about what not to feed your dog for every single web page with dog porn will result in a SERP that is overwhelmingly weighted towards that information. Conversely--haven't these same people been telling us for years that we live in a racist society? So why are they surprised that a search engine of a racist society's web pages returns racist results?

forapurpose 9y ago
I'm surprised myself that someone on HN is really claiming that Google doesn't edit search results for all sorts of reasons, including for purposes of social norms, of any sort, and social responsibility. In fact, every person and organization does that. I doubt there are any social interactions where people don't behave according to a set of rules. > why are they surprised Nobody said they are surprised; that's not relevant. They are trying to solve a problem, just like people who are working to resolve the problems of cancer, gun violence, and bugs in Firefox.
- philwelch 9y ago
  I'm not saying they don't edit search results (clearly they do); I'm saying that it's worth reexamining the expectation that they should edit search results for the sake of political agendas.