Navigating the Internet

A Study of German-Language Search Engines

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11486191
AutoresMarcel Machill (University of Leipzig, Institut für Kommunikations-und Medienwis-senschaft, Ritterstaβe 26, D-04109 Leipzig, Germany, autor de correspondencia), Christoph Neuberger (0000-0003-0892-610X, University of Münster, autor de correspondencia), Wolfgang Schweiger (0000-0002-5848-3266, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, autor de correspondencia), Werner Wirth (University of Zurich, autor de correspondencia)
Año2004
Volumen19
Número3
Páginas321-347
Fecha de publicación2004-08-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEuropean Journal of Communication (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0267-3231 • E-ISSN: 1460-3705
EditorialSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0267323104045258
OpenAlexW2104203165
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas8
Referencias citadas2

This article explores the market position, quality and typical usage of German-language search engines. The use of search engines is a common Internet activity - 91 percent of Internet users employ search engines. As search engines occupy the role of gatekeepers in the information jungle of the Internet, a monopoly like Google’s (76 percent market share) is problematic in several respects. Invalid results, access to websites with inappropriate content for the young user or users’ ignorance concerning the technical and economic functionality of search engines represent further problems. To analyse these problems, the study reported here comprised three steps: a comparison of search engine performance, a representative poll among German Internet users and a laboratory experiment. It was found that users have only the basic skills required to use search engines; this is exacerbated by search engines’ lack of transparency. Manipulations (spamming) of results and a poor separation of neutral and sponsored hits add to a deficiency in user friendliness

Advertising · Business · Computer security · German · Ignorance · Internet privacy · Metasearch engine · Political science · Quality (philosophy · Search engine · Spamming · The Internet · Transparency (behavior · Web search query · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Knowledge Management and Sharing · Law · Wikis in Education and Collaboration