Response to: Research in India suggests Google can influence an election by Craig Timberg.
In this article Timberg suggests that major search engines can manipulate search results to ultimately influence the voter choice and voter preferences. Timberg focuses on referencing psychologist Robert Epstein's experiment in India to support this suggestion. Epstein found that search engines can "profoundly influence voters without them noting the impact". Epstein calls this Search Engine Manipulation Effect.
The critics of this study pointed out that there are other factors to be taken into account that effect this study, such as the voters prior "party allegiances, potent issues and ethnic and religious affiliations." Critics also pointed out that major search engine operators have reason to avoid the appearance of manipulating election search results on the account of not undermining the public's trust and the backlash that would occur.
However, the studies Epstein conducted do make sense. Manipulating the results on his search engine did impact the voter's choice in candidate. We may also account this manipulation having such an impact because of confirmation bias, priming, and framing; as these studies were conducted right before the voter voted for his/her candidate of choice.
On a side note, there were rumors that Google had manipulated their search results with Hillary Clinton cr ...., instead of criminal, crime reform, cried, etc comes up instead. I put it to the test and I got a mixed result.
In this article Timberg suggests that major search engines can manipulate search results to ultimately influence the voter choice and voter preferences. Timberg focuses on referencing psychologist Robert Epstein's experiment in India to support this suggestion. Epstein found that search engines can "profoundly influence voters without them noting the impact". Epstein calls this Search Engine Manipulation Effect.
The critics of this study pointed out that there are other factors to be taken into account that effect this study, such as the voters prior "party allegiances, potent issues and ethnic and religious affiliations." Critics also pointed out that major search engine operators have reason to avoid the appearance of manipulating election search results on the account of not undermining the public's trust and the backlash that would occur.
However, the studies Epstein conducted do make sense. Manipulating the results on his search engine did impact the voter's choice in candidate. We may also account this manipulation having such an impact because of confirmation bias, priming, and framing; as these studies were conducted right before the voter voted for his/her candidate of choice.
On a side note, there were rumors that Google had manipulated their search results with Hillary Clinton cr ...., instead of criminal, crime reform, cried, etc comes up instead. I put it to the test and I got a mixed result.
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