Is Google Getting Worse? (Update)

Search engines put the world’s information at our fingertips. But immediate access to information changes the way our brains absorb, process, and retain knowledge. As a result, the human mind is losing its capacity to engage in deeper thought.

Can Google help us understand sexual diversity, detect unreported child abuse, and prevent hate crimes? Data scientist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz thinks so. In Everybody Lies, Stephens-Davidowitz argues that in daily life and traditional surveys, people tend to lie about their sexuality, prejudices, and emotional turmoil—but they willingly confess all of these secrets in their Google searches and other web activity.

Stephens-Davidowitz says this information can be used for the greater good—that it can inform better social policies, improve institutions like education and health care, promote social equity, and bring hidden injustice to light. But to do so, data researchers have to understand big data’s inherent strengths—and avoid its inherent weaknesses.

In this guide, we’ll explore the four benefits that Stephens-Davidowitz says give big data its power while balancing his optimistic viewpoint with recent analyses of big data’s potential for harm.

Are you aware that you’re being watched by big tech companies? In The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Shoshana Zuboff explores the concept and consequences of “surveillance capitalism”—a term she created to describe the invasive and controlling data collection practices that tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have adopted to maximize their profits. By learning about these practices, you’ll be better equipped to protect your privacy and fight to protect the privacy of us all.

In this guide, we’ll explore what surveillance capitalism is, how it’s been able to thrive despite growing opposition, and what we can do to prevent it from destroying our freedom and democracy. We’ll also expand on Zuboff’s ideas by suggesting counterarguments to some of her claims, adding context where possible to enhance understanding, providing updated examples of tech companies’ actions, and recommending concrete steps you can take to combat surveillance capitalism.

Has Big Tech made our lives better or worse? In The Four, entrepreneur and marketing professor Scott Galloway takes a hard look at four technology companies that dominate the modern marketplace: Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google (the “Four”). He argues that the success of the Four has had a profound and decidedly negative impact on our society, affecting everything from our privacy and our opportunities for career advancement to our free-market economy and even the functioning of our democracy.

In our guide, we examine the Four’s outsized influence on our personal lives as well as on society at large. We contrast Galloway’s ideas with those of other experts on Big Tech and provide additional background information to contextualize Galloway’s opinions.

Have you ever wondered how the economy works - how millions of individuals can buy and sell goods and services without a master coordinator? Have you wondered why we use money, rather than bartering our services with each other? Why do some nations prosper, while others stay poor despite vast natural resources?

Basic Economics by Stanford economist Thomas Sowell is an incredibly useful, broad introduction to economics. Containing no math, it instead communicates intuitive principles that will help you understand how market transactions work and the effect of policies on the economy. Understand how prices for goods are set, why rent control has bad side effects, and the purpose of brand names.

Are you aware that you’re being watched by big tech companies? In The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Shoshana Zuboff explores the concept and consequences of “surveillance capitalism”—a term she created to describe the invasive and controlling data collection practices that tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have adopted to maximize their profits. By learning about these practices, you’ll be better equipped to protect your privacy and fight to protect the privacy of us all.

In this guide, we’ll explore what surveillance capitalism is, how it’s been able to thrive despite growing opposition, and what we can do to prevent it from destroying our freedom and democracy. We’ll also expand on Zuboff’s ideas by suggesting counterarguments to some of her claims, adding context where possible to enhance understanding, providing updated examples of tech companies’ actions, and recommending concrete steps you can take to combat surveillance capitalism.

Unravel the critical issues of the day with Vincent Oshana, Patrick Bet-David, Adam Sosnick, and Tom Ellsworth in this episode of the PBD Podcast. The hosts delve into various key themes: from the socio-economic implications of the UAW labor strike, political landscape, and national debt concerns, to the analysis of public figures and domestic American politics. This episode promises to lure your attention with candid discussions about CEO salaries, worker's rights, and potential job losses.

Levelling up, the speakers widen the scope to international politics questioning the mysterious absence of Chinese ministers and reflecting on the reclusion of Jack Ma. They also examine societal concerns and the impact of media influence. Further, the consistent threads of business strategies, sports achievements, and the correlation between the two make this PBD podcast episode an invigorating exploration of contemporary issues. Whether you're a political junkie, a sports enthusiast, or simply curious, this episode brings together incisive perspectives that prompt reflection and debate.

Are you aware that you’re being watched by big tech companies? In The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Shoshana Zuboff explores the concept and consequences of “surveillance capitalism”—a term she created to describe the invasive and controlling data collection practices that tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have adopted to maximize their profits. By learning about these practices, you’ll be better equipped to protect your privacy and fight to protect the privacy of us all.

In this guide, we’ll explore what surveillance capitalism is, how it’s been able to thrive despite growing opposition, and what we can do to prevent it from destroying our freedom and democracy. We’ll also expand on Zuboff’s ideas by suggesting counterarguments to some of her claims, adding context where possible to enhance understanding, providing updated examples of tech companies’ actions, and recommending concrete steps you can take to combat surveillance capitalism.

A proposed Australian law that would require Google to pay local media outlets for news content led Google to declare an ultimatum—change the law, or we’re leaving the country.