Firstly, if Google simply replicates the agenda of news media, this would signify a strong dependence on that news content. We investigate the salience of topics in search media, by pursuing two research questions: first, to what extent does the distribution of topics selected by search media replicate the agenda of the news media? And second, to what extent does searcher input (i.e., a user’s specific selection of query terms) alter this distribution?Īddressing these two questions offers insight into how Google search acts as a curator of topics related to newsworthy queries. This study investigates the agenda of topics and issues that are curated by the Google search engine in the context of the 2020 U.S. With search now being an extension of how news media is distributed, the way its algorithms select and shape topics gains importance and warrants scrutiny (Mustafaraj et al., 2020 Whyte, 2016). This theory states that the salience that the media provides certain topics is associated with the importance that the public attributes to the issues reflected by these topics (McCombs & Shaw, 1972 Scheufele & Tewksbury, 2006 Valenzuela, 2019). Public opinion is shaped by the salience of issues in the media, an idea that is at the heart of agenda-setting theory. The Artificial Intelligence-driven curation of search media (Metaxa et al., 2019) has the potential to influence public opinion in political and social domains (Epstein & Robertson, 2015 Epstein, 2018 Kay et al., 2015), and exercises power by shaping how the public makes informed political choices (Dutton & Reisdorf, 2017 Knobloch-Westerwick et al., 2015), including what and how issues are presented during elections (Diakopoulos et al., 2018 Muddiman, 2013 Trevisan et al., 2016). Search engines are an integral part of the system of distribution of news information to the public (Bandy & Diakopoulos, 2020 Bentley et al., 2019 Diakopoulos, 2019 Trielli & Diakopoulos, 2019) and, as such, a significant new piece in the process of selection and emphasis of issues in the media. These findings elaborate an understanding of how search media can drive, shape, or counteract choices made by news media and search users. ![]() This study asks: to what extent do the topics selected by search media replicate the agenda of the news media? And to what extent does searcher input alter these topics? The results show the differences between the topics in news media and in the search engine and a limited power by the user to reshape the topics in the search results. This work is framed around the agenda-setting understanding that public opinion is shaped by the salience of issues in the media, and search, as an extension of that media ecosystem, should be evaluated through the same lens. ![]() Algorithmic Agenda Setting: The Shape of Search Media During the 2020 US Electionīy Daniel Trielli and Nicholas DiakopoulosĪn algorithm audit of results during the 2020 United States presidential election investigates the agenda of topics and issues curated by Google search about the two main candidates.
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