We all use Google for every question that we have. Whether it’s asking for the weather, or the largest train station in Japan. It’s something so prominent in our everyday lives, that we don’t even question where the information is coming from. For simple questions about celebrities or the time in Iran, Google has featured boxes that have all the information you need without having to click on a secondary link. This is something that I have found extremely useful, efficient and easy. Without having to navigate through a confusing website, with pop-up ads and various forms of clickbait, Google provides you the information you need as soon as you search. When it comes to getting the facts in the quickest and most efficient way: Google is the best.
The reason they have these snippets is because quick and straightforward answers are needed for devices that lack a screen. A system and algorithm was needed to quickly find an answer that many different articles provide and extract it. The top results from searches may not always be the answer you are looking for, but for simple questions the algorithm does a great job. With the top deciphered, devices such as Alexa’s are able to deliver the answer quickly and efficiently without searching through websites.
However when it comes to conspiracies or questions that aren’t easily answered, Google may lead you on a dangerous path of opinions and fallacies that may stray you off the path towards a factual answer. Another problem is that Google can only show information that exists on the World Wide Web. Some information may require a deep dive while others Google pushes to the top and gives it to you instantly. This is because they pride themselves on algorithms and do not have human editors that sift through information and fact check everything. While this may be the most efficient way, it may not be able to provide snippets of information due to the lack of content on the World Wide Web. Overall, the snippets that Google provides are extremely helpful to our everyday lives and give us answers quickly and concisely. However for more open ended questions, it’s best to find trustworthy information and avoid going down a rabbit hole of fake information.