tech
What We Ask Google by Simon Rogers review
The company’s data editor trawls through billions of queries to deliver a portrait of the world’s preoccupations
TL;DR
- The book 'What We Ask Google' by data editor Simon Rogers analyzes search queries from the past two decades.
- Queries range from common parenting questions to more profound concerns, offering insights into collective curiosity.
- Rogers views search trends as a social mirror, but the review suggests the book's perspective is selectively hopeful.
- The review notes a lack of acknowledgment regarding the impact of AI on search and the potential for search data to reflect darker human instincts.
- An example is given of 'take care of parents' overtaking 'take care of kids' in early 2023 searches, reflecting the 'sandwich generation' demographic squeeze.
- The book is described as a diverting but selective window on collective curiosity, with a mention of rising searches for 'dead butt' due to sedentary lifestyles.