Search Engine How do we survive the media apocalypse? (Part 2)
42 snips
May 22, 2024 
Casey Newton, a tech reporter and co-host of the Hard Fork podcast, brings his insights to discuss the shifting landscape of online media. He highlights Google's recent shift to AI-generated summaries, raising concerns about its impact on news publishers. The conversation touches on the decline of traditional journalism amidst layoffs and quality compromises. Newton also introduces the Fediverse, a decentralized alternative that could empower users to reclaim control over their online experiences. This thought-provoking dialogue navigates the future of media and the challenges ahead.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Google's Rise to Power
- Google's PageRank algorithm prioritized web pages with many backlinks, indicating value.
- This, combined with its effective ad auction, made it the dominant search engine.
Google's Feedback Loop
- Google's dominance grew as more usage improved its search accuracy.
- By tracking user clicks, it refined its index, creating an advantage over competitors.
What Time Is The Super Bowl?
- Every news website published articles like "What time is the Super Bowl?" to attract traffic.
- Google eventually displayed the answer directly, impacting publishers' ad revenue.