Search engine manipulation effect: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:02, 5 June 2022

Revision as of 18:48, 16 July 2022

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{{notability|date=May 2022}}

{{Short description|Term}}

The '''search engine manipulation effect''' (SEME) is a term invented by [[Robert Epstein]] in 2015 to describe a hypothesized change in [[consumer behaviour|consumer preference]]s and [[voting behaviour|voting preferences]] by search engines. Rather than [[search engine optimization]] where advocates, websites, and businesses seek to optimize their placement in the search engine's algorithm, SEME focuses on the search engine companies themselves. According to the psychologist Epstein, search engine companies both could massively manipulate consumer and vote sentiment, and furthermore would do so to ensure their favored candidates win. Epstein propounded that that such manipulations could shift the voting preferences of undecided voters by 20 percent or more, and up to 80 percent in some demographics, and would change the outcomes in over 25% of national elections.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Crain|first1=Matthew|last2=Nadler|first2=Anthony|date=2019|title=Political Manipulation and Internet Advertising Infrastructure|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/jinfopoli.9.2019.0370|journal=Journal of Information Policy|volume=9|pages=370–410|doi=10.5325/jinfopoli.9.2019.0370|jstor=10.5325/jinfopoli.9.2019.0370|s2cid=214217187|issn=2381-5892}}</ref><ref name=poli>{{Cite web|title = How Google Could Rig the 2016 Election|url = https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/how-google-could-rig-the-2016-election-121548|access-date = 2015-08-24|first = Robert|last = Epstein |date=August 19, 2015 |publisher=Politico.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Epstein|first1=Robert|last2=Robertson|first2=Ronald E.|date=2015-08-18|title=The search engine manipulation effect (SEME) and its possible impact on the outcomes of elections|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=112|issue=33|pages=E4512–E4521|doi=10.1073/pnas.1419828112|issn=0027-8424|pmc=4547273|pmid=26243876|bibcode=2015PNAS..112E4512E|doi-access=free}}</ref>

In response to the allegations, [[Google]] denied re-ranking search results to manipulate user sentiment, or tweaking ranking specially for elections or political candidates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/google-2016-election-121766|title=A Flawed Elections Conspiracy Theory|website=POLITICO Magazine|access-date=2016-04-02}}</ref>