In Other Words Questions and Answers-Or Is That Answers and Questions?

摘要

To kick off 2021, I'm shaking things up a bit. I'm still highlighting noteworthy articles from other Information Today, Inc. publications, but rather than picking out two, I am looking at four, although not all in-depth. William Badke, the InfoLit Land columnist for Online Searcher, is an associate librarian at Trinity Western University. His articles often focus on how to make students better and more aware users of technology, especially when it comes to searching. In his January/February 2021 column, "The Tail Wags the Dog: Taking Back Control of Our Searches," Badke details how search engines basically tell users what they are looking for, rather than allowing users to determine if the algorithms are really answering their questions. He notes, "Search engine algorithms are proprietary.... If algorithms prove sexist or racist, you can complain, but you can't filter out the bad features." What's more, at their base, these algorithms are "driven by financial greed masquerading as helpful personalization" so that "the mind of the machine takes control over the efforts of the searcher."