The shift away from mainstream news media sources has been well underway for years. According to a study that polled 33,000 people across 28 countries, more people used search engines than any other media source.
Related Trust in mainstream media plummets: Only 2% of young adults trust the media
Given the stranglehold mainstream media has had on the public this seems like a boon for our shifting times, but can we trust search engines anymore?
Google, Yahoo, Bing and other media giants use algorithms to tailor search results for the user, based on past search history and trending items. Considering that search engines are now the primary interface for people and what they consider ‘reality’, the potential for reality management or propaganda techniques to be employed against users is all but certain.
In the past, hidden powers could influence public opinion using television, radio and print media, but now people that people are more likely to make contact with the outside world via the internet, a shift in tactics employed has undoubtedly occurred.
Have you ever looked up something using google or yahoo to determine if it was real? If so, you are not the only one. Many people turn to search engines as confirmation of what they think is true, or to look for proof something is not true. And in most cases, the investigation usually doesn’t go beyond what pops up in the first page or two of search results.
For example, if one searches for a popular name in the alternative media, such as Alex Jones, some of the items listed on the first page will be websites attempting to promote him as a conspiracy theory quack, such as Southern Poverty Law Center. Here’s an excerpt from their page, which was the 9th item in my search engine results:
Alex Jones is almost certainly the most prolific conspiracy theorist in contemporary America. In terms of the audience he reaches, he also may be the one with the most far-reaching influence in the nation’s history. Time after time, he warns without any evidence that terrorist attacks — from 9/11 to the Boston Marathon bombings to the 2013 Washington Navy Yard mass murder — are actually “false flag” operations by our government or evil “globalist” forces planning to take over the world. To many, Jones is a bad joke. But the sad reality is that he has millions of followers who listen to his radio show, watch his “documentaries” and read his websites, and some of them, like Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, resort to deadly violence. – Southern Poverty Law Center
Clearly if one is looking for objective search engine results they probably won’t find it using big search providers. To those savvy enough to look for an unbiased search engine, there may be some better options out there. But to the average person, unaware the subtle manipulation of search providers, reality management programs are having a marked effect on what they perceive.
The ability to influence someone’s perception of reality is essential to maintaining the status quo. Most people are completely unaware of the machinations of the hidden powers of this world, but if more people were aware, it would be much easier to unite for global change.
In my view, while we live in an age of unprecedented informational access, where literally the mysteries of the ages are at our fingertips, the risk of error and manipulation are still close at hand. This is why speaking the truth to our fellows and engaging in collective discourse is so helpful because we can support each other in the search for truth, pointing out many of the illusions of reality being poured out for all to see.
If we can’t unite on all the issues affecting our world, we can, at least, unite in the search for truth.
The good news is, this shift away from centralized media outlets empowers the individual to gain a much better understanding of reality, but the risk of error is still present.
U.S. public relations firm Edelman polled 33,000 people in 28 countries, and found that people trust search engine results more than any other media:
QZ redid the graphic to make it easier to read:
Edelman also argues that search engines and the Internet have turned traditional power structures – and the sources of influence – on their head:
This sounds good … but remember that the NSA and its British counter-part the GCHQ MASSIVELY manipulate the web – including making some websites artificially popular and others less so – tospread their influence and promote their agendas.
And everyone obtains different search engine results … even if they run the exact same search. For example, Google gathers information across all of its platforms, and personalizes search engine results based upon what you’ve looked for in past searches.
So search engine results are not totally objective … they are based upon our past expressions of interest.
And some even question whether the search engine companies themselves are really as neutral as they claim. We express no opinion on that topic, other than to note it.
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