Are search engine results biased? Some research has even argued that search results can affect the outcomes of close elections. We call it search media: the set of search results and their ordering shown to users. Our team at Stanford is doing exactly that, focusing on Google search results about all candidates running in the 2018 midterm elections. Analyzing search media systematically and over time, as we do with other forms of media, is critical to understanding whether search media are biased and what impact they might have on our democracy.

Source: The Guardian September 06, 2018 09:56 UTC