I'm going to reuse part of a comment I made in relation to a post by a fellow Dev community which alluded to Google's algorithm and how it somewhat arbitrarily decides whether or not a site is relevant to be placed among the search results or is even considered span. It seems to me that it is something more serious than just the impact it may cause to small businesses or personal sites, it is rather about the imposition of a market model on a rather complex habitat such as the web, with the background of knowledge as another market product and "information" subject to a guideline that supports the proposed model and clouds any alternative that arises in the process. The comment goes as follows:
“It's interesting, because I've been wanting to publish a post that narrates something similar for a while. I don't know what´s the case is in other latitudes, but at least here in Venezuela Google has long since ceased to be a reliable source of information. I remember at one time it gave a fairly high number of relevant results to any search, and now it is limited to trying to sell you some portable memory, some new technology or whatever comes to mind, but the truth is that already in the first 10 results comes a load of advertising and normally after one 15 sometimes much less stop being relevant results
It is worrying, because one can feel an interest of the giant in hiding valuable information and thus making knowledge just another market product. Another worrying thing is that in any "smart" telephone comes by default a Google application that not only spies on you, but also if you take on the task of deleting it. You find that one is almost impossible and two your phone just doesn't work properly when you disable it
I think we already have enough borders to manufacture more virtually, it seems to me that we are in time to join forces as thinking beings, to avoid not only a communicational wall, but the privatization of knowledge. Knowledge is universal, transmitting it and acquiring it is the way we have to emancipate ourselves and evolve as thinking beings. I think Google should Indemnification the general population for the way it makes use of advertising and information, skewing much of reality.
Many are unaware that a selfish can mean sending metadata hidden in the file.jpg with your location. It may seem like a trivial or unimportant fact, but when there is a whole marketing network determined to capture you for some of their brand new needs of the day to acquire. And the need for a market and a system of governments call it the Deep State or whatever you want, to maintain world control and a population focused on survival or make money to survive.
It can be a risk to life, be an environmental activist or be in search of social vindications and have an application that sends your location every so often, seconds? It is an interesting topic, because in the same way that Google hides small sites that have no relation to its commercial interests, in some way it contributes to what is consumed by the majority of the masses, which often does not go beyond sex, football, politics and religion... by unknowing other windows that could broaden their perspective and provide new nuances.
I think they owe more respect to us, and some money too…”
Now more calmly and trying to expand the information on some points. One can feel like the character played by Will Smith in Public Enemy.
One of the points that I hinted at in the commentary, but that I did not give myself the task of developing, is the informative bias and the simultaneous manufacture of passing tendencies (which is not something new), but the seriousness of the situation is that at this moment we can say that we are communicated in real time or rather partially communicated (it is worth paraphrasing the author of the book "The Visual Treat" when he talks about monopoly Web Portals, Holdings, Media, Hardware Factories and Patents, etc... and how "they control what is seen and what is not seen") and it is quite relevant to say it, because this is a community of developers very involved in the way the web is built, and even more so how interpersonal relationships converge that are increasingly subject to technology and a virtual environment.
It is important to note that even in this century and for the present day, not everyone has a computer or an internet connection or even regular access to it. Although practically anyone has a smartphone, many limit its use to a chat application or social network and are oblivious to the endless alternatives that arise at the level of applications in various areas, and how to use these as tools to develop and advance in some area.
I think that part of the problem that also affects us as developers, is that in the race to survive and go hand in hand with the reigning technologies, we are overlooking the social commitment and the dimensions that the current society in which we live is taking, which is not limited to a web environment or a circle of acquaintances. Where large transnationals, giants such as Google or passing governments, manage obscene amounts of capital and many people are forced to survive on less than $5 a week.
If we observe that it is precisely this information bias that keeps most of the mass in the dark and also undoubtedly forges future obstacles, such as many black boxes that hide the real functioning of the processes and a population enslaved to a given pattern... We find ourselves in the need to put a stop to these small power groups and initiate joint legal processes that force these transnationals and technological giants to compensate the general population of the planet, not just a small group.
Well, since there is a technology that can centralize a given context and validate a broad consensus of the population to support a legal basis, I think it is time to think together as developers how to respond to historical social problems and not limit ourselves to deploy and app. I insist Google owes us money. And knowledge must be free, freedom is about knowledge.
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