Search engine manipulation effect: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:18, 25 August 2015

Revision as of 06:31, 11 September 2015

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The '''search engine manipulation effect''' (SEME) is the change in consumer preference from manipulations of search results by search engine providers. SEME is one of the largest behavioral effects ever discovered. This includes voting preferences. A 2015 study indicated that such manipulations could shift the voting preferences of undecided voters by 20 percent or more and up to 80 percent in some demographics.<ref name=poli>{{Cite web|title = How Google Could Rig the 2016 Election|url = http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/how-google-could-rig-the-2016-election-121548.html?hp=rc3_4#.VduFK6sVhhH|accessdate = 2015-08-24|first = Robert|last = Epstein |date=August 19, 2015 |publisher=Politico.com}}</ref>

The study estimated that this could change the outcome of upwards of 25 percent of national elections worldwide.

== Scenarios ==

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Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups in which search rankings favored either Candidate A, Candidate B or neither candidate. Participants were given brief descriptions of each candidate and then asked how much they liked and trusted each candidate and whom they would vote for. Then they were allowed up to 15 minutes to conduct online research on the candidates using a manipulated search engine. Each group had access to the same 30 search results—each linking to real web pages from a past election. Only the ordering of the results differed in the three groups. People could click freely on any result or shift between any of five different results pages.<ref name=poli/>

After searching, on all measures, opinions shifted in the direction of the candidate favored in the rankings. Trust, liking and voting preferences all shifted predictably. 36 percent of of those who were unaware of the rankings bias shifted toward the highest ranked candidate, along with 45 percent of those who were aware of the bias.<ref name=poli/>

Divorcees, Republicans and those who reported low familiarity with the candidates were among the most subject to the effect, while participants who were better informed, married or reported annual household income between $40,000 and $50,000 were harder to sway. Moderate Republicans were the most susceptible, increasing support for the favored candidate by 80%.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Internet search engines may be influencing elections|url = http://news.sciencemag.org/brain-behavior/2015/08/internet-search-engines-may-be-influencing-elections|first=David |last=Shultz |publisher=Science Magazine |date=August 7, 2015|accessdate = 2015-08-24}}</ref>

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A UK experiment was conducted with nearly 4,000 people just before the 2015 national elections examined ways to prevent manipulation. Randomizing the rankings or including alerts that identify bias had had some suppressive effects.<ref name=poli/>

== European antitrust lawsuit ==

European regulators accused Google of manipulating its search engine results to favor its own services, even though competitive services would otherwise have ranked higher. As of August 2015, the complaint had not reached resolution, leaving the company facing a possible fine of up to $6 billion and tighter regulation that could limit its ability to compete in Europe. In November 2014 the European Parliament voted 384 to 174 for a symbolic proposal to break up the search giant into two pieces—its monolithic search engine and everything else.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Google’s $6 Billion Miscalculation on the EU|url = http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-08-06/google-s-6-billion-miscalculation-on-the-eu|website = Bloomberg.com|accessdate = 2015-08-25|first = Vernon|last = Silver|last2 = Stone|first2 = Brad|date = August 6, 2015}}</ref>

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== Google Trends ==

[[Google]] acknowledges adjusting its algorithm 600 times a year, but does not disclose the substance of its changes.<ref name=poli/>

== References ==

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== External links ==

* {{Cite journal|title = The search engine manipulation effect (SEME) and its possible impact on the outcomes of elections|url = http://www.pnas.org/content/112/33/E4512|journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|date = 2015-08-18|issn = 0027-8424|pmid = 26243876|pages = E4512-E4521|volume = 112|issue = 33|doi = 10.1073/pnas.1419828112|language = en|first = Robert|last = Epstein|first2 = Ronald E.|last2 = Robertson}}

[[Category:Internet search engines]]