Google’s new and improved search
http://fortune.com/2018/09/24/google-search-personalized-image/
This article focuses on the improvements that google is making to their search page. I found this article particularly interesting because all of the changes they mention are in reference to google’s “search” feature, yet there is absolutely no reference to PageRank in the article. Instead, the changes they are making are looking to improve the user’s second and third click, having little relation to the user’s initial use of the search algorithm. This goes to show that google’s search algorithm is actually working so effectively that the developers are looking for other ways for the users to remain on the page even when they have finished their initial search.
One of the changes that they are making is increasing the number of links that support an image when you do an image search or creating a user profile that can predict what your following searches are going to be. These changes are being made to increase the profitability of google search, as the longer a person remains using their algorithm, the greater chances they will be interacting with google’s ads. Additionally, this new “discover” feature would increase information spread while avoiding information cascades like facebook’s that end up in the spread of “fake news”. While the use of information cascades is imperative in everyday life, fake news spreads much more rapidly with them. Although the specific means that google would be using to create this “discover” feature went unsaid, I would imagine that they would use the page rank system along with a combination of other algorithms to target which other web pages a user is likely to visit. Yet, with all of this new information and features being adopted by google, what struck me the most was the effectiveness of google’s original page rank feature.