Search

In many contexts, search is the paradigm for intentional discovery on the internet. The seeming simplicity of that little box with the magnifying glass allows us to forget that search systems are subject to a wide array of design considerations. These choices which have dramatic effects on the quality of search results, and the capacity the a search has to do (or further) harm.

Both large design principles (like how search results are ordered) and small touches (like how far auto-complete suggests) can have a significant effect both on how users engage with the information that they are looking for, and what information they seek to look for in the first place.

Because search is our primary digital mechanism for self-directed exploration, search results have significant (and often competing) burdens:

• Matching User Intent - Searches are at their best when the extend human agency, rather than redirecting the user toward something they weren't looking for.
• Preventing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Search rankings bring along with them hefty financial rewards, and thus, companies are highly incentivized to find tricks to attempt to game them. The line between "gaming the system" and "building 'high quality' content" is hard to draw, and constantly shifting.
• Objectivity - Many searches are questions about a shared reality, but can be skewed by the question asked, leading to automated Confirmation Bias.
• Non-homogenization - Search has the power to heavily centralize the flow of traffic on the internet toward the top few search results. This power can easily be abused, and is challenging to wield responsibly.

These priorities have to compete with the search algorithms' efforts to avoid harm.