Most of us have a hard time recalling how we managed in the BG (Before Google) era. For instance how did we know about the weather in a distant corner of the world, what medicine to take for minor ailments, how to sound intelligent when chatting about abstruse matters and interesting details about friends and foes before Google? But have we become too Google reliant? Is Google the final word on everything? Here’s how Google can get it very, very wrong:
The “Top 10 Criminals of the World”
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When UP lawyer Sushil Kumar Mishra googled this search term, the result was something like the picture above: some fictional characters, some strange looking ones and some heads of state, including the Indian Prime Minister and former US president. Real villains like Hitler and Stalin are conspicuous by their absence. Mishra petitioned the Allahabad High Court and the HC issued a notice against Google, so if you now Google this search term, the search results will return with a statutory disclaimer.
What Mishra’s suit changed
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Now because Mishra filed that suit, the search term is making headlines the world over and has become even more closely associated with PM Narendra Modi. So now the search engine is throwing up even more of his images; with this statutory disclaimer: : “These results don’t reflect Google’s opinion or our beliefs; our algorithms automatically matched the query to web pages with these images.” Unwittingly, Mishra actually added to the Google error he sought to correct. The irony is acute.
The algorithm is supreme…
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….but fallible. And it makes mistakes sometimes because of user generated content and sometimes because of its inherent limitations. Apparently if you search for a particular set of Google Maps coordinates, you will be led to a place near Rawalpindi in Pakistan and possibly this image above. Bizarre!
Sometimes Google simply cannot keep up
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My friend recommended a shop. I googled it, and my map app took me there. I found that the store had been shut for a year. And Maps will frequently lead you astray, especially in India. Where there was a road, there is now a flyover. The road itself is currently a fully dug up trench. Sometimes, Google cannot keep up and at times it will leave you stranded when you most need it!
Google Baba Ki Jai!
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Hell yeah! I remember googling “why is my baby hiccupping so much” when my first born had the hiccups late at night 12 years ago. I was reassured by what I read and went to sleep. My baby soon stopped hiccupping as well. Today, if I want to know about a new restaurant, I Google it. If I want to know about a historical figure in the dim and distant past, Google it. If I want to know how to pack for my holiday I Google the weather for where I’m going. Mostly I treat what Google says as gospel truth. Scary, that!
India relies on Google
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Indians Google about anything and anyone that interests them. These were the top searches last year.
“Google it”
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This has become a part of our lexicon and we habitually reach for the desktop browser or the mobile closer at hand to find the answers we seek no matter how out-there, pathetic, embarrassing or plain weird.
The “Search Engine Manipulation Effect”
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Yes “Search Engine Manipulation Effect” is a real thing, and is seen to be able to alter election results by a staggering 20 to 25%! Google may deny doing it, but users can and do figure out ways to manipulate the search algorithm to suit their requirements.
So Bing? Yahoo?
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Probably not. The fact is that Google is still our best bet. No other search engine comes as close to finding what you and I are looking for. The caveat is that we need to be a little more discerning, a little more circumspect about believing all that Google says and shows us.
To put is simply, Google is everything. It’s what we search, what really entertains us and what keeps our worlds sane in this world. Watch this video and you will know exactly what I am saying.
https://youtu.be/qR9aNZwUK8s
Author – Reena Daruwalla
