Search Engine Society

Search engines have become a key part of our everyday lives. Yetwhile much has been written about how to use search engines and howthey can be improved, there has been comparatively littleexploration of what the social and cultural effects might be. Likeall technologies, search engines exist within a larger political,cultural, and economic environment. This volume aims to redressthis balance and to address crucial questions such as:
* How have search engines changed the way we organize ourthoughts about the world, and how we work?
* What are the 'search engine wars', what do they portend forthe future of search, and who wins or loses?
* To what extent does political control of search engines, or thepolitical influence of search engines, affect how they are used,misused, and regulated?
* Does the search engine help shape our identities and interactionswith others, and what implications does this have for privacy?
Informed members of the information society must understand thesocial contexts in which search engines have been developed, whatthat development says about us as a society, and the role of thesearch engine in the global information environment. This bookprovides the perfect starting point.