Hey, what happened to my search results?

[EddMarkStarr]

For several months now my online search results are "sponsored" contents, not the "free-range" results I used to receive.
Search ranking services are turning my online search into a merchandise market grand bazaar.

According to recent reports and user feedback, many people feel that Google Search has become less effective, with complaints about an increase in irrelevant ads, prioritization of Google's own services over other potentially better results, and a general decline in the quality of search results, leading to concerns about the overall effectiveness of the search engine; however, Google is constantly updating its algorithms to try and improve search relevance and combat spam.

 

[Nude_Dude]

Google is constantly updating its algorithms to try and improve search relevance and combat spam.

I'd have thought all of this algorithm data and storage might have ceased once the "Cambridge Analytica" Facebook shit hit the fan.
Nowadays the collection continues as "cookies" - but with a bit of targeted manipulation, you can choose to "opt out"

*and yes, I agree, google search HAS become an advertising site, with the biggest payers going to the top of the list.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

I'd have thought all of this algorithm data and storage might have ceased once the "Cambridge Analytica" Facebook shit hit the fan.
Nowadays the collection continues as "cookies" - but with a bit of targeted manipulation, you can choose to "opt out"

*and yes, I agree, google search HAS become an advertising site, with the biggest payers going to the top of the list.

So now I have to "search through" my search results - and my recommendations are all cat videos!
Last week it was, "Oatmeal, Good or Bad". Where did it all come from? I thought one of my neighbors used my computer while I ran an errand!

 

[Alistair]

It’s gotten even worse with the AI answers that you get on Google.

 

[Dargelos]

Who uses Google anymore? I changed up to Duck Duck Go 15 years ago and would never want to go back. There are various alternatives today. The site that said it was your friend is now your enemy, don't use it.

 

[rareboy]

Google is rapidly becoming less relevant.

Its image search function is trash now, the AI crap is misleading half the time and as noted, the first results are always (often deceptive) advertising links.

Oh. And keep in mind. It is all in on the creation of a media regulated fascist state in the US.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

My friend Alyssa uses Duckduckgo. She saiys search engines, outside of Google and Bing, pull from the results from their "web-crawlers" and work their own results around those. Duckduckgo search results are geared around Bing's web-crawler, supplemented by their own in-house one. I'm ready to make the switch - Google is just plain weird.

 

[Dargelos]

Some of the changes that are worth making, such as avoiding Amazon or X, involve a small amount of inconvenience, but dumping Google is so easy. It costs nothing, saves you time and is the right thing to do. Why wait?

 

[opinterph]

Duckduckgo

Is DuckDuckGo a Good Search Engine?

Truly private search results without tradeoffs in result quality.

spreadprivacy.com

 

[rareboy]

Just changed my default from Google.

 

[me203]

As pointed out, Google is in the advertising business.

I'm concerned with the idea of Google knowing so much about its users. There are some who have expressed concerns that Google can use this data to potentially sway public opinion by tweaking search results that push people in a desired direction. One particiular concern here are elections. I am also concerned with how much value the data they have could be if an authoritarian government got it.

I've used DuckDuckGo for several years. It works well enough for my needs. Plus I like the mascot duck.

 

[me203]

Some of the changes that are worth making, such as avoiding Amazon or X, involve a small amount of inconvenience, but dumping Google is so easy.

I don't buy from Amazon and I haven't logged into X since long before it ceased being Twitter. Actually, before Musk, even.

That said, for some, it could potentially be more than small inconvenience. Amazon may be the only shopping choice in some situations. And some may need X for whatever reason. I notice that a lot of the commentators I follow will cite and apparently use X. (And no, they aren't right wingers.)

In theory, avoiding Google is easily doable--but even here, there are people are forced into the Google universe one way or another, due to school or work requirements.

 

[Dargelos]

The fundemental difference is this. Google stores every possible atom of information about everyone who has ever used it. A nasty govt can demand all this data, or more likely they will just hand it over willingly. DDG deletes all record of your visit as soon as you leave the site, so no govt, no matter how oppressive, can demand data about you because that data does not exist.

 

[72-Jay]

I denied Cookies & JavaScript to Google years ago (along with blocking all its ad-servers). So that cleaned up/blocked allot of the crap on it.
But the search results it gives have gotten progressively worse (particularly in the last couple years)

Earlier this year, it started requiring JavaScript to even do a search... at that point I dumped it for DuckDuckGo

 

[me203]

I denied Cookies & JavaScript to Google years ago (along with blocking all its ad-servers). So that cleaned up/blocked allot of the crap on it.
But the search results it gives have gotten progressively worse (particularly in the last couple years)

Earlier this year, it started requiring JavaScript to even do a search... at that point I dumped it for DuckDuckGo

Interesting. I didn't know JavaScript had become a requirement. I just checked this out of curiosity and got a Google page ordering me to turn on JavaScript.

DuckDuckGo, however, has no problem--although some functionality is probably better with JavaScript.