The document discusses various topics related to algorithms, Google, and how information is presented and consumed online. It provides definitions of algorithms, examines whether Google is "making us stupid" by changing how people read and learn online, and lists several of Google's products and services. It also includes discussion questions about whether accessible information online reduces differences between educated and uneducated groups, and provides references to additional relevant readings on search engines and the impact of digital technologies.
2. Readings Carr, Nicholas. (2008). “Is Google Making us Stupid?”, Atlantic.com. Washington D.C: The Atlantic. Stross, Randall. (2008). “The Algorithm”. In Planet Google: how one company is transforming our lives (pp. 63-88). London: Atlantic Books.
3. Algorithms An algorithm is a set of rules for solving a particular problem; it’s the essential building block used in constructing complex computer software (Stross, R. 2008). Read more definitionsonWikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithm
4. Classquestions How many of you use Google as your first choice? How many of you use any of the competitors, such as Microsoft’s Bing, Yahoo or Ask?
5. Classquestions Why do you use the preferred search engine? Are you conscious about it, or do you just use it because everyone else does? Do you use the word search engine or do you say googling?
6. Google has infiltratedourlangage Googling is defined as a transitive verb according to the dictionary and thesaurus Merriam Webster. Link: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/googling
7. Is Googlestupidifying? Is Google making us stupid? Carrarguesthatourbrain has adapted to thewayGoogle present information to us. Insteadofreading in depthbooks and articles, wenowscanliteraturequickly to findwhatwearelooking for.
18. Classquestions Do you agree with Carr? Or do you think it’s the other way around? By having all sorts of information accessible, we get to it easier; hence, we learn more? Can the accessible information indeed wipe out some of the differences between those with a university degree, scholars and so on and people with no higher education?
19. Otheruseful online resources John Battelle’s searchblog John Battelle is a journalist as well as founder and chairman of Federated Media Publishing. He has been a visiting professor of journalism at UC Berkeley and also maintains Searchblog. The blog covers search, technology, and media. Battelle is one of the original founders of Wired magazine http://battellemedia.com
20. Otheruseful online resources SearchEngineWatch http://searchenginewatch.com SearchEngine Land http://searchengineland.com/ SearchEngine Journal http://www.searchenginejournal.com/ Mashable, The social Media Guide http://mashable.com
21. Relevant readings Battelle, John (September 2005). “The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture”. New York: Portfolio Bauerlein, M. (2008). “The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30)”. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin Brabazon, T. (2006).”The Google Effect: Googling, Blogging, Wikis and the Flattening of Expertise” In Libri(2006, vol.56, pp. 157-167). Germany Caufield, J. (2005)“Where Did Google Get Its Value?”. In Libraries and the Academy (Number 4, October 2005, pp. 555-572).The Johns Hopkins University Press Conti, G. (2006). “Googling considered harmful” in New Security Paradigms Workshop archive (2006, pp. 67-76) New York: ACM Del Corso, G. M. Gulli, A. Romani, F. (2005) ”Ranking a Stream of News” in International World Wide Web Conference archive (2005, pp. 97-106). New York: ACM Evans, M. P. (2007) “Analysing Google rankings through search engine optimization data” in Internet Research No. 1 (2007, pp. 21-37). Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Finkelstein, L. et al. (2001). “Placing search in context: the concept revisited” in International World Wide Web Conference archive (2001, pp. 406-414). New York: ACM Goldberg, M. A. (2005) “Googling of Online Privacy: Gmail, Search-Engine Histories and the New Frontier of Protecting Private Information on the Web”. In 9 Lewis & Clark Law Review (2005, pp. 249-262) Goldman E. (2008)“Search Engine Bias and the Demise of Search Engine Utopianis”, In Spink, A. and Zimmer, M. (2008) Web Search . Berlin: Springer Kilgarriff, A. (2007) “Googleology is Bad Science” in Computational Lingustics No. 1 (pp. 147-151) Ling, X. et al. (2008) “Can Chinese Web Pages Be Classified with English Data Source?” in International World Wide Web Conference archive (2008, pp. 969-978). New York: ACM Liu, Y. et al (2008) ”BrowseRank: letting web users vote for page importance” in Annual ACM Conference on Research and Development in Information Retrieval archive (2008, pp. 451-458) New York: ACM Yen J.Y. et al. (2007) “The Comorbid Psychiatric Symptoms of Internet Addiction: Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)”, in Depression, Social Phobia, and Hostility. Journal of AdolescentHealth, 41. Yoo, H.J. et al. (2004). “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Symptoms and Internet Addiction”. Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 58.
