The different Worlds of Google - a comparasion of search results on conspiracy theories in 12 countries
Search engines play an important role in the spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories, accentuating the power of global platform companies such as Google to contribute to the digital (information) divide by providing search results of lesser quality in certain countries. We investigated this phenomenon by asking what kind of results users see when they search for information on eleven popular conspiracy theories (CTs) via Google. We analyzed links from Google search results (N = 1,259) in 12 Western and non-Western countries and ten languages.
Overall, users are more likely to encounter neutral or debunking content when using Google to search for prominent CTs. However, for some CTs, strong country differences in the quality of search results emerge, showing clear correlations between categorical inequalities and unequal access to reliable information. In countries where journalists enjoy less freedom, people enjoy fewer democratic rights and are less able to rely on social elites, Google also provides less enlightening content on CTs than in developed and prosperous democracies. The countries thus disadvantaged are precisely those countries where there is a high propensity to believe in CTs according to comparative survey research. However, in countries where a global language is spoken, e.g. English or Portuguese, there is no correlation between structural, country-specific factors and the quality of search results. In this sense, structurally disadvantaged countries seem to benefit from belonging to a larger language community.
The group of researchers and co-researchers: Gerret von Nordheim1, Tina Bettels-Schwabbauer2, Katharina Kleinen-von Königslöw1, Paulina Barczyszyn-Madziarz3, Halyna Budivska4, Philip Di Salvo5, Filip Dingerkus6, Liziane Soares Guazina7, Kwaku Krobea Asante8, Michał Kuś3, Sandra Lábová9, Antonia Matei10, Norbert Merkovity11, Fernando Oliveira Paulino7, László Petrovszki-Oláh10, Michael Yao Wodui Serwornoo12, Jonas Valente7, Alexandra Wake13, Viktória Zakinszky Toma14
- Duration: 2020-2023
- Project lead: Prof. Dr. Katharina Kleinen-von Königslöw