AMICAL Keeps Current – Digital hegemonies: The localness of search engine results
AMICAL Keeps Current is an event series for discussing a recent publication (such as articles, book chapters, presentation recordings, webinars, etc.), selected by a different committee or interest group each month. Members may also suggest publications for discussion. The series was inspired by, and continues, AMICAL’s long-running Information Literacy Journal Club.
The first AMICAL Keeps Current event will be led by Anguelina Popova (AUCA). We will discuss the article “Digital Hegemonies: The Localness of Search Engine Results”, written by Andrea Ballatore, Mark Graham, and Shilad Sen in 2017. (The article is Open Access and available via Taylor and Francis Online.)
The article investigates the geographic dimension of search results. It looks at the production location and diversity of the information presented, and how much control represented entities have on the information that portrays them.
Here are a couple of discussion points (you may suggest and discuss additional points during the meeting):
- What ways could make visible to students the embedded biases of search engines and social network algorithms , and help students build sustainable behavior? (E.g., readings, exercises, practices.)
- What can our regional universities do to help tackle the information divide?
This event was organized by Araz Margossian (AUA) of AMICAL’s Information Literacy Initiatives Committee.