“Ask Google”. The role of the search machinery in the construction of knowledge about climate change

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS18520242579

Abstract

The increased media attention to climate change is closely tied to the development and accessibility of web and social media platforms. These networked channels have partially replaced traditional media as information intermediaries and provide a direct voice to climate change stakeholders, some denialists or skeptical about the seriousness of the climate emergency. This research investigates the actors involved and their visibility in search engines to better understand how Google algorithms structure the communication in Spanish surrounding this issue. The searches and results about climate change in six Spanish-speaking countries have been observed using a mixed methodology based on digital methods and discourse qualitative analysis. Many searches directly engage with the debate about the veracity of climate change. Traditional media or well-established sources in each country’s market tend to have better positioning in Google. However, most of the content is opinion articles, which facilitates the perception of climate change as a debatable topic.

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Published

2024-12-02

How to Cite

Calvo, D., Iranzo-Cabrera, M., & Tarullo, R. (2024). “Ask Google”. The role of the search machinery in the construction of knowledge about climate change. Observatorio (OBS*), 18(6). https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS18520242579

Issue

Special Issue (2024) Climate Disinformation. Understanding the Role of Vested Interests, Political Actors, and Technological Amplification

Section

Special Issue 2024

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Dafne Calvo, María Iranzo-Cabrera, Raquel Tarullo Observatorio (OBS*) has an academic journal profile. As such, it is dedicated to the open exchange of its contents, and freely available to individuals and institutions without charge or formal permission. Copies of this journal or articles in this journal may be distributed for research or educational purposes free of charge and without permission. Authors will not be charged for publication or submission to this journal. Authors who publish in Observatorio (OBS*) will release their contributions under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-2.0 generic. This licence allows anyone to copy and distribute the article for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate attribution is given - being the author the copyright holder. This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. The publisher perpetually authorizes participants in the LOCKSS system to archive and restore our publication through the LOCKSS System for the benefit of all LOCKSS System participants. Specifically participating libraries may: • Collect and preserve currently accessible materials; • Use material consistent with original license terms; • Provide copies to other LOCKSS appliances for purposes of audit and repair. Fair use of a copyrighted work, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include: 1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; 2. the nature of the copyrighted work; 3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; & 4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors. In accord with these provisions, the OBS journal believes in the vigorous assertion and defense of Fair Use by scholars engaged in academic research, teaching and non-commercial publishing. Thus, we view the inclusion of “quotations” from existing print, visual, audio and audio-visual texts to be appropriate examples of Fair Use, as are reproductions of visual images for the purpose of scholarly analysis. We encourage authors to obtain appropriate permissions to use materials originally produced by others, but do not require such permissions as long as the usage of such materials falls within the boundaries of Fair Use.