Invisible Search and Online Search Engines : The Ubiquity of Search in Everyday Life

Invisible Search and Online Search Engines considers the use of search engines in contemporary everyday life and the challenges this poses for media and information literacy. Looking for mediated information is mostly done online and arbitrated by the various tools and devices that people carry with them on a daily basis. Because of this, search engines have a significant impact on the structure of our lives, and personal and public memories. Haider and Sundin consider what this means for society, whilst also uniting research on information retrieval with research on how people actually look for and encounter information. Search engines are now one of society's key infrastructures for knowing and becoming informed. While their use is dispersed across myriads of social practices, where they have acquired close to naturalised positions, they are commercially and technically centralised. Arguing that search, searching, and search engines have become so widely used that we have stopped noticing them, Haider and Sundin consider what it means to be so reliant on this all-encompassing and increasingly invisible information infrastructure. Invisible Search and Online Search Engines is the first book to approach search and search engines from a perspective that combines insights from the technical expertise of information science research with a social science and humanities approach. As such, the book should be essential reading for academics, researchers, and students working on and studying information science, library and information science (LIS), media studies, journalism, digital cultures, and educational sciences. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 Acknowledgments 7 1. Introduction 10 Everyday life and social practices 12 Between systems and users, search engines and search 14 How is a search result relevant? 16 The elephant in the room: Google 20 Searching for content versus searching for documents 23 Chapter conclusion: What is this book about and what is it not about? 26 Chapter organisation 27 References 28 2. Perspectives on search 31 A prelude 32 Search between information retrieval and information behaviour 34 Seeking for serious information 39 Web search studies 41 Information practices and information seeking in everyday life 43 Perspectives on the social shaping and the politics of search engines 46 Chapter conclusion: Search as a social, cultural, and material/ technological phenomenon 51 References 52 3. The materialities of search 58 Infrastructures 59 Critical infrastructure 60 Infrastructure as a conceptual device 62 Search as information infrastructure 63 Rethinking visibility and breakdown 64 Platformisation of the information infrastructure 66 Data: Index, queries, and user data 68 Chapter conclusion: Search and sociomaterial information practices 80 References 81 4. Search in everyday life 85 From specialised to mundane 87 The ubiquity of search 91 Not searching, searching differently, and avoiding search 95 Searching for confirmation: Information feedback loops 99 Searching for content versus search as practice: Re-inflating information 101 Chapter conclusion: The ubiquity of search 105 References 105 5. Search and media and information literacy 109 Media and information literacy 111 Information literacy research 111 Media and information literacy in policy making 114 How do we evaluate information? 116 Understanding search versus understanding with search 119 Changing demands: The limitations of media and information literacy 123 Chapter conclusion: Locating trust and authority 126 References 127 6. Researching search and search as research 131 How to investigate search and searching 133 Using search engines for investigations 141 Chapter conclusion: Search engines as objects of and tools for research 144 Note 144 References 145 7. Conclusion 148 Temporalities of search 149 Central notions 151 Final thoughts 152 References 153 Index 155 " Invisible Search and Online Search Engines considers the use of search engines in contemporary everyday life and the challenges this poses for media and information literacy. Looking for mediated information is mostly done online and arbitrated by the various tools and devices that people carry with them on a daily basis. Because of this, search engines have a significant impact on the structure of our lives, and personal and public memories. Haider and Sundin consider what this means for society, whilst also uniting research on information retrieval with research on how people actually look for and encounter information. Search engines are now one of society's key infrastructures for knowing and becoming informed. While their use is dispersed across myriads of social practices, where they have acquired close to naturalised positions, they are commercially and technically centralised. Arguing that search, searching, and search engines have become so widely used that we have stopped noticing them, Haider and Sundin consider what it means to be so reliant on this all-encompassing and increasingly invisible information infrastructure. Invisible Search and Online Search Engines is the first book to approach search and search engines from a perspective that combines insights from the technical expertise of information science research with a social science and humanities approach. As such, the book should be essential reading for academics, researchers, and students working on and studying information science, library and information science (LIS), media studies, journalism, digital cultures, and educational sciences." Invisible Search And Online Search Engines Considers The Use Of Search Engines In Contemporary Everyday Life And The Challenges This Poses For Media And Information Literacy. Looking For Mediated Information Is Mostly Done Online And Arbitrated By The Various Tools And Devices That People Carry With Them On A Daily Basis. Because Of This, Search Engines Have A Significant Impact On The Structure Of Our Lives, And Personal And Public Memories. Haider And Sundin Consider What This Means For Society, Whilst Also Uniting Research On Information Retrieval With Research On How People Actually Look For And Encounter Information. Search Engines Are Now One Of Society's Key Infrastructures For Knowing And Becoming Informed. While Their Use Is Dispersed Across Myriads Of Social Practices, Where They Have Acquired Close To Naturalised Positions, They Are Commercially And Technically Centralised. Arguing That Search, Searching, And Search Engines Have Become So Widely Used That We Have Stopped Noticing Them, Haider And Sundin Consider What It Means To Be So Reliant On This All-encompassing And Increasingly Invisible Information Infrastructure. Perspectives On Search -- The Materialities Of Search -- Search In Everyday Life -- Search And Media And Information Literacy -- Researching Search And Search As Research. Jutta Haider, Olof Sundin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.