Is there a googlearchy?
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| The Proceedings of the National Academies of Science isn't the place
| you'd typically go for a discussion of PageRanks and surfing behavior.
| But the emergent complexity of the web provides the raw material for
| studies ranging from network dynamics to social psychology. A study
| released online in advance of publication looks into how the influence
| of search engines is affecting the accessibility of online information.
| The authors are examining fears that search engines will create a
| situation where a self-reinforcing cycle of popularity will create
| an Internet in which a limited number of information sources
| predominate: "[S]earch engines bias the traffic of users according to
| their page ranking strategies, and it has been argued that they create
| a vicious cycle that amplifies the dominance of established and
| already popular sites. This bias could lead to a dangerous monopoly
| of information."
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http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060817-7532.html
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