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International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Book | Chapter

182446

Digital oracles and the search dictatorship

Martha Carrer Cruz Gabriel

pp. 123-126

Abstract

Since ancient times oracles have been used by men to help choosing paths, and in the Digital Era we live in, oracles have been used more than ever. The continuous web growth and its consequent increasing complexity make it very difficult for us to find the information we need or want inside it. Therefore, search engines (as Yahoo, Google, etc.) are frequently and daily used around the world in order to help people and systems to find out answers in the endless web routes, functioning indeed as "digital oracles'. From the undeniable utility and importance of these oracles — without which our web access and penetration would get very restricted — comes the great power they exert over us and the society as a whole. This paper intends to raise questions and reflections related to the search engines and their power over the on-line and off-line lives, such as "filtering & control', "websites survival', "the Top 10 dictatorship', "awareness about search power and limitations', among others.

Publication details

Published in:

Ascott Roy, Bast Gerald, Fiel Wolfgang, Jahrmann Margarete, Schnell Ruth (2009) New realities: being syncretic. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 123-126

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-211-78891-2_28

Full citation:

Cruz Gabriel Martha Carrer (2009) „Digital oracles and the search dictatorship“, In: R. Ascott, G. Bast, W. Fiel, M. Jahrmann & R. Schnell (eds.), New realities, Dordrecht, Springer, 123–126.