Search engine manipulation effect: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:42, 13 August 2016

Revision as of 13:41, 16 December 2016

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{{Primary sources|article|date=June 2016}}

The '''search engine manipulation effect''' (SEME) is the change in [[consumer behaviour|consumer preference]]s from manipulations of search results by [[search engine]] providers. SEME is one of the largest behavioral effects ever discovered. This includes [[voting behaviour|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><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Epstein|first=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|url=http://www.pnas.org/content/112/33/E4512|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}}</ref>

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

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Later research suggested that search rankings impact virtually all issues on which people are initially undecided around the world. Search results that favour one point of view tip the opinions of those who are undecided on an issue. In another experiment, biased search results shifted people’s opinions about the value of [[Hydraulic fracturing|fracking]] by 33.9 per cent.<ref name=":1" />

==== India ====

A second experiment involved 2,000 eligible, undecided voters throughout India during the 2014 [[Lok Sabha]] election. The subjects were familiar with the candidates and were being bombarded with campaign rhetoric. Search rankings could boost the proportion of people favoring any candidate by more than 20 percent and more than 60 percent in some demographic groups.<ref name="poli" />