The paper critically analyzes the political economy of the link-based web search paradigm, which has been the dominant model since the late 1990s. It starts by outlining different conceptualizations of web search, highlighting the distinction between use-value oriented and need-oriented search. The paper then provides historical context on the precursor to link-based search, content-based search, and its vulnerabilities to Goodhart effects.
The core of the paper focuses on the link-based web search paradigm. It examines the technology, philosophy, and ideology behind link-based search, tracing its roots to bibliometric citation analysis and sociometric work. The paper then presents a theoretical framework to understand the political economy of link-based search, outlining the first-order and second-order consequences.
The first-order consequences include power inequality, the emergence of a link commodity, and the crowding out of content considerations. The second-order consequences include platformization of search engines, structural changes to the web, commercial bias, social biases, Matthew effects leading to progressive parochialism, and ecological issues.
The paper argues that these consequences synergize to reduce the overall utility of link-based search, and situates it within the broader context of automation and the mode of production, highlighting how link-based search leverages unpaid digital labor. The authors conclude that the link-based paradigm is deeply aligned with libertarian political ethos and the interests of capital, and call for the search for responsible and fairer alternatives.
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by Deepak P,Jam... at arxiv.org 04-26-2024
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.16530.pdfDeeper Inquiries