A Media History of Search Engine Rankings

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Other Title
  • 検索エンジン・ランキングのメディア史
  • 検索エンジン・ランキングのメディア史 : パソコン雑誌における検索エンジン表象の分析
  • ケンサク エンジン ・ ランキング ノ メディアシ : パソコン ザッシ ニ オケル ケンサク エンジン ヒョウショウ ノ ブンセキ
  • a Discourse Analysisof Major PC Magazines
  • パソコン雑誌における検索エンジン表象の分析

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<p>Rankings are ubiquitous forms of media in our daily life. In particular, rankings</p><p>of search engine results are one of the most commonly encountered media.</p><p>However, most users are not aware of how web pages are ranked by search</p><p>engines and even the fact that search engine results are ranked. This means</p><p>search engines are “black-boxes” and rankings as a form of media are</p><p>“obscured”. The purpose of this study is to clarify how this black-box and</p><p>obscured media environment has been constructed by chronologically analyzing</p><p>major personal computer magazines in the United States during the Web1.0</p><p>era. This is a historical analysis of discourses regarding search engine rankings</p><p>and the World Wide Web in general.</p><p>As a result, this study clarifies the following three conclusions. First, the</p><p>World Wide Web was originally considered a plaything, like “web-surfing,”</p><p>before becoming a tool for searching information. Secondly, tools for searching</p><p>webpages changed from semantic directories to computational rankings. Lastly,</p><p>discourse explaining computational technology gradually disappeared as a result</p><p>of a change in the search engine environment from over-competition to monopolization.</p><p>　　Through this historical process, search engine rankings as media became</p><p>“black-boxes” and implicit trust in the rankings were constructed. Consequently,</p><p>users came to unconsciously consider only the top-ranked contents and rankings</p><p>as a form became obscured. This result suggests that the implicit trust in</p><p>these black-box platforms can potentially amplify “trolling” or “fake news.” The</p><p>study contributes to understanding how digital platforms affect daily communications,</p><p>applying a media studies perspective.</p>

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