Disaster SEO

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingOther chapter contribution

Abstract / Description of output

Every time you search on Google, an auction takes place, with advertisers bidding to serve adverts to you according to the words you use. For this piece, Pip Thornton priced up three strings of Covid-related terms: the first was generated at the beginning of the global pandemic, on 13th March 2020, the second on 24th October 2020, and the third on 1st June 2021. In October 2020, the search terms had almost doubled in price.

In this system of linguistic capitalism, word prices are based on the suggested bid price Google provides to potential advertisers, and Google earns most of its money by selling the words we put into the search engine to advertisers so they can buy the top spots on the results page. In this way, our questions, worries and fears become profit for a tech giant.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSYSTEMS: USER or USED?
EditorsONeill Paul, Mitzi D'Alton
Place of PublicationDublin
PublisherScience Gallery Dublin
Publication statusPublished - 2021

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