MDG Advertising’s inforgraphic Is Personalized Search Getting Too Personal? is based on the data from a study by Pew Research’s Internet and American Life Project that discussed what users perceive and believe about the impact of personalized search. MDG Advertising says the IG shows:
“The real public perception of search, as well as how users rate the state of the search experience and why so many are so against the push toward personalized information in search results.”
The numbers are interesting because while the majority seem to feel that the search results have become better over the years and the search results are trustworthy they also seem to dislike the idea of personalized search results and don’t like the potential privacy issues that could arise with the results.
So are personalized search results becoming too personal? You tell us what you think.
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Melissa Fach
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I find it really interesting that the search engines are really trying to hang their hats on personalization, but most users want nothing to do with it. The infographic makes a good point that many users may not fully understand how personalized search has benefited them in terms of search results quality, but most people don’t like the idea of anyone tracking their online movements.
Great thoughts, Nick!
I hate it… And I use the “&pws=0″ method to remove personalized search results…
I need to take the time to do that ;-)