Spotting scams online

Google result for \'spotting scams online\'Proof that Google isn’t human (or is very human)

Do a search on the phrase ’spotting scams online’ and you get a page full of ‘get-rich-quick’ schemes. For most humans, this might seem.. somehow.. wrong.

But think about it for a moment. Who would most want to know how to spot scams online? Quite possibly somebody trying to evaluate some sort of ‘opportunity’ in front of them, that’s who. Someone already in the market for a ‘get-rich-quick’ scheme.

So it’s not really a surprise then, that there are ‘get-rich-quick’ schemes bidding on the keyword “scam”. The likelihood of a clickthrough clearly outweighs the negative association.

In my more sentimental moments, I catch myself wanting to believe that what things mean in relation to each other would figure in Google’s criteria for establishing relevance.  I want to believe that the outright cynical and exploitative will somehow be judged as ‘irrelevant’ - but that would be to expect of Google a degree of social responsibility that would be at odds with its business model.

So what’s the problem?  The fact that the meaning and value of information is now shaped by economic algorithms, not the social context in which it arises.

June 19, 2008 | Filed Under GRRRR!!!, business insight 

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