How Google Influences Public Opinion

There’s no questioning Google’s dominance in the internet. It’s such a massive and familiar presence that the brand’s name has become the word people use to refer to searching for anything online. While this unofficial standardization has plenty of upsides, it also raises questions about Google’s influence on public opinion.

The Anchoring Effect

One of the biggest ways Google can influence people’s opinions is through anchoring bias. The anchoring effect is a phenomenon where people are more likely to focus too much on the first piece of information they receive. In search engine terms, users tend to believe the top of the results page more than anything coming afterward.

According to one study, 28.5% of people click the first link on Google’s search engine results page (SERP). Fewer than 10% open anything below the third. With so many rarely looking beyond the first few results, it’s easy to see how anchoring bias can take hold.

While searchers focus on the first SERP entry, this source is not necessarily the most reliable. Publications can employ practices to rank higher in SERPs — a practice known as search engine optimization (SEO). Consequently, the information people see first — and therefore believe the most — does not always achieve its position by being accurate.

Assumptions of Trustworthiness

Similarly, Google can (perhaps unintentionally) sway public opinion because many take its results at face value. Roughly 82% of American internet users say they generally trust the search results, and 21.4% say they “almost always” do.

Despite such a high degree of trust, Google results do not always reflect the truth. Consider how the recent AI Overviews feature has recommended eating rocks or offered incorrect cooking temperatures. Because algorithms cannot distinguish between fact and fiction but instead look for commonalities and trends, they can promote incorrect or satirical answers.

Such a lack of reliability is not necessarily Google’s fault, nor is it intentional. Rather, it comes from AI being prone to errors from biased data or users not following up to see where information in a featured snippet or AI Overview comes from.

Personalized Results

Google’s personalization features can also influence users’ opinions. Many searches tailor SERPs to individuals and situations, especially when real-time factors like someone’s location would affect their desired results. This function is meant to ensure SERPs are as relevant as possible, but it risks creating echo chambers.

After a user clicks enough links from a certain site or searches enough slanted questions, their results for future searches will adapt to their behavior. As a result, they may see an increase in information aligning with the views of things they’ve interacted with previously. That, in turn, creates a cycle of reinforcing a narrow point of view while leaving out diverse perspectives.

Interestingly, personalization applies even when people use Incognito Mode. While it does remove some tracking features, it does not affect Google’s data collection, so these echo chambers can be difficult to avoid.

What Google’s Influence on Public Opinion Means

While it may not mean to, Google can influence public opinion through its search results. That has several implications for enterprises and consumers.

What It Means for Companies

The sheer power of Google’s SERPs poses a promising opportunity for businesses. It’s why they invest up to $5,000 in SEO services on average each month. Reaching the top of a SERP automatically gives a website a huge amount of trust from users, thanks to the anchoring effect and general confidence in Google.

It also means organizations should be careful about the information they put online. Anything ranking high enough could sway public opinion, which gives the authors an immense responsibility to remain unbiased and accurate. Trying to game the system to drive traffic while offering unreliable information could result in significant backlash once people discover the breach of trust.

Conversely, those providing accurate details who reach top SERP spots could greatly improve their public image. As Google tries to refine its results to keep things unbiased and reliable, it’ll likely reward greater attention to detail.

What It Means for Users

Google’s sway over people’s beliefs also deserves attention from the average internet user. It’s important to be mindful of how things like anchoring bias and personalized results can make things seem more trustworthy than they may be. Once users recognize how their use of Google can impact what they see, they can take actions to prevent missteps.

One of the most crucial things to keep in mind is Google results are not infallible. Always check multiple sources to get the full picture, and be sure to scroll beyond the first few results, too. Reading an entire article in context and seeing where their information comes from instead of taking headlines at face value is likewise critical.

Thankfully, the public is starting to wake up to the reality of biased or unreliable search results. A HackerNoon poll found 58% of Google users dislike AI Overviews, with 29% going so far as to say they hate it. It’s also worth noting 17% like these results but believe they can be improved. This implies people understand AI answers are not always accurate.

Google Holds Considerable Influence on Public Opinion

Google’s impact on public opinion is undeniable. Whether this influence is good or bad may vary, and it may not always be intentional on Google’s part. However, it is worth recognizing for brands and users alike.