Kammel
1605
59
4
TL:DR - honestly curious, not just bitching. What’s up with search engines these days?
Not bitching to bitch, but genuinely curious. DDG, Google, etc seems to just…function differently. To the point I can hardly get any specific information I’m looking for. It’s like the algorithms are weighting search terms oddly.
Or maybe it’s the flood of AI generated “review” sites creating too much noise? Is the constant SEO trying to game the system making it worse?
I have been using search engines since the 90s, so maybe I’m just old and the problem is me and just EBKM?
Love for any fellow nerds to drop some knowledge.
CALAMOSCOPYJANE
I noticed that too!!! Google seems almost useless these days. Thx for the tip about Bing. I’m sticking with Duck Duck. How are people f thinking about that engine these days?
DoseOfScience
Monopolistic forces: once the business majors *think* they have a handle on the supply, the throttle it to maximize their profit ratio.
METROlD
The problem is that it’s free. So at first it was awesome but then they got greedy. I use Kagi and it’s amazing. It costs 10$ a month and it’s fuckin solid. I can finally search for something without a barrage of ads to scroll through, a list of trash AI sites, and am ad immediately start playing on my tv for what I just searched for.
dynamojoe
I recently switched to duckduckgo. It's weird but it works well enough.
kikisdeliveryservice
The AI review is just another layer of critical analysis to he done before you get to the site wanted, where their stuff already needs to be facked checked.
Internet was good, now it's a publication more adds than content.
DippinDerps
It's crap that they host to the highest payer. When you search on Google, 90% is paid ads first then whatever they feel like showing for search results. What drives me nuts is when you are searching for something to purchase. You get deals right off the bat until you see this. It's total garbage. e.e
leepupjax
Avenue Q was wrong, the internet is for shopping.
glovelyday
They've gone from the greatest research tool ever created by humans to targeted personal junk mail generators.
kikisdeliveryservice
This!
Kammel
Completely forgot to add the time I did an image search on DDG for tie-dyed shirts (looking for pattern ideas) and about a third of the way down the page every result was a Walmart image from their product page. All clothing but none of it tie dyed.
fformulaa
I honestly think they used it to crewte a massive ai of all the questions and answers and have now dumbed it down
REOJackwagon
In another post on here, someone put this link that talks about that subject. It's a long read, though.
https://www.wheresyoured.at/never-forgive-them/
Kammel
Thanks, I’ll give it a read!
MrStealYourGiF
It wants to tell you what you want instead of give you what you want. Also carefully picked search terms dissolve into synonym soup and almost none of the operators work right any more. Not the quotes, not the site: nothing, it just jumps out of bounds in a handful of results.
Kammel
You bring up a good point about most software driven tech these days, streaming music, streaming tv, TV operating systems, socials, etc…
All intent on driving behavior not serving behavior.
jobe
You are correct, its due to the Enshitifcation of the internet, weirdly Bing search works better now, but I still feel dirty using it lol.
Branch68
Bro i feel dirty reading that but is is sadly true
Syxcfaq
This is exactly what I was going to say. Enshittification: word of the decade. Coined by the ever prescient Cory Doctorow.
Branch68
I feel it is because it is all using AI to answer instead of what ever function was used before
Kammel
Actually, I’ve found that the DDG AI answer often gives me better results than straight search results. Of course, just wait until they figure out how to game the LLM’s to sell stuff.
desolat
Kagi ftw. 5 bux/month. Way worth it.
defaultname2000
On the one hand it's SEO and garbage sites looking to get visitors (just to send them to the next one/give them a virus/steal info and usage, on the other side it is marketing and business economics making the user stay longer, have more clicks, site impressions, and click the advertisements more likely (because they look more useful than the search results).
defaultname2000
close bracket after usage )
fritogotlayed
I started paying for Kagi in the last year or so. It's worked well enough for me. Tossing it out there as an alternative for the bing, DDG, etc.
JohnWickdidnothingwrong
Try the old ones, Lycos works, use duckduckgo, there are options.
Kammel
DDG is Bing and not much better imo.
JoeMangoJello
Would people please define their acronyms? Not everyone knows about Sexy European Ostriches or Easy Bake Keto Muffins.
Kammel
I mean not when yours are sooo much better. How could search engine optimization compete with yours?
EBKM is a test. See how old and nerdy you are ;)
JoeMangoJello
Ok, I have one more guess. (That's not true, I have 3) E-Business Knowledge Management, Eight Bit Kernel Mode, and Eat Bananas Keep Moving.
JoeMangoJello
Awww, guess 43 isn't old enough. And that's the one I was most curious about.
Kammel
lol ok fine…Error Between Keyboard and Mouse.
Old tech support shorthand for dumb user error. Similar to the ID-ten-T error (ID10T).
JoeMangoJello
Ooh nice! Thanks for satisfying my curiosity.
Kammel
I still like yours better!