Monday, December 01, 2008

Search Engine Insight



Does anyone find the fact that most people are using search engines for random celebrity information disconcerting. Of all the things people could be (re)searching on the web, most (see images) people are looking into areas that have no real benefit to life in general. How sad. Although it does bring up an important issue of information literacy that we might perhaps start promoting a little more.

3 comments:

Christian Olson said...

I have a theory on this. I think that most people do use search engines for some sort of relevant information, but those searches are scattered amongst the huge mass of information out there.

In other words, people searching for Britney Spears probably accounts to .01% of the total searches, but the other 99.99% of "beneficial" searches are divided among an infinite amount of ideas.

I don't know if that made sense, but my theory behind my diatribe helps me keep my sanity.

chaela said...

That theory makes sense.

Regardless, I hate the entire idea of celebrity. Most people in America wake up every morning, go to a job they dislike, work harder than they probably need to, go home and eat over-processed, pre-made food and then sit down to watch television. They watch people living fake lives, doing things that aren't real, and then they think that's how most people live.

SO, they go out and spend money they don't have to buy things they don't need to impress people who probably don't care.

The fact is, most people live like the family in the movie Juno. Most people's furniture doesn't match, most teenagers drive their parents' minivan around, and most kids like their parents more than they let on.

This is why I love documentaries. They whole idea of a doc is to 'exalt the everyday' and 'make the ordinary extraordinary.' There are so many people in the world who do amazing things every day. I would love it if there were more television shows and magazine articles about them. I don't really care what Ashley Simpson named her baby or how much she paid for a crib that works just as well as one from Wal-Mart. On the other hand, I would love to learn about a grandmother in Alabama who takes in homeless pregnant teenagers and helps them become contributing citizens on her own dime (or even, more impressively, lack thereof).

I need to get off my soap box now because I'm wearing heels and soap is slippery. Also because I should get to work or Geoff will beat me up soon.

chaela said...

also, go here: http://fitforthekingdom/

my favorite is "Leroy" on the bottom left.

If you don't have time to watch at least read the mission statement. It will change your life. Or at least you will enjoy reading it and go "yeah."