Algorithms Have the First (and Last) Word: As you know (and as we showed you yesterday), Google can suggest some strange things when you start typing in that search box and can put up top search results that are not quite what you had in mind. Rick Santorum is experiencing this first hand. The top search result for his name is, well, not really related to the presidential candidate and is not safe for work. Santorum is obviously not happy about this and is not happy with Google. He spoke out against the search giant and even contacted Google to have the search result removed. Good luck with that one, Rick. As this New York Times article explains, Google’s reaction was basically “sorry we can’t help you, it’s up to the algorithm.” You may not feel bad for the distressed party in this situation, but what about other situations in which innocent people are judged unfairly because of what Google search algorithms attach to their names that don’t actually have anything to do with them? Like what social media and youth culture expert Danah Boyd discusses on her blog in a post entitled “Guilt Through Algorithmic Association.” Boyd offers the hypothetical example of a young Muslim boy whose name, Mohammad Abdullah, prompts Google to suggest things like, “Is Mohammad Abdullah a terrorist?” As Boyd points out, this could be an issue for Mohammad when he applies for college or tries to get a job. Clearly, algorithmic slander is a real issue. NYT
The Zuck is Still Bloodthirsty: Looks like Mark Zuckerberg has worked up an even bigger, meatier appetite from making all of these big changes at Facebook, so he’s into bigger game to kill. As you know, the Zuck only eats meat he kills. He now has a hunting license and has apparently killed a bison. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Fortune
Website of the Day: If you are a fan of microfiction, check out 50-Word Stories, a growing collection of, you guessed it, 50-word stories written by Tim Sevenhuysen, a 25-year-old graduate student at the University of Victoria, and other guest writers.
Comic of the Day: “What it’s like to own an Apple product” courtesy of The Oatmeal.
Video of the Day: Rick Perry in top form.
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WPP’s Rob Reilly on the power of creative excellence
Under Rob Reilly's creative lead, WPP won most creative company at the 2022 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. He talks about that and more in this Q&A.
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Amid gloomy forecasts can ad tech weather the storm?
The recent Q2 results suggest there is more resilience and runway in the ad tech sector. But how long before push comes to shove?
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Member ExclusiveMedia Briefing: What Axios’ sale says about the valuation of digital media companies
In this week’s Media Briefing, senior media reporter Sara Guaglione looks at what Axios's sale to Cox Enterprises signals about the current investment market for media companies.
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SponsoredWhat gaming habits reveal about media consumption
Jordan Shlachter, head of research, Activision Blizzard Media Entertainment choices have never been more abundant, and gaming has emerged as one of the biggest winners in the battle for audiences’ attention. While gaming’s exponential growth has been well documented — there are currently nearly 3 billion gamers worldwide spanning a diverse set of demographics, interests […]
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Member ExclusiveDigiday+ Research deep dive: Twitter’s strength holds among publishers
There is perhaps no social media platform that is more appropriate for publishers than Twitter. In this Digiday+ Research deep dive, we look at why this is.
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La razón por la que Google y Samsung se asociaron con la personalidad de TikTok Addison Rae para una campaña nostálgica de los años 90
Este verano, Google y Samsung han lanzado su último esfuerzo de marketing conjunto, en el que los gigantes de la tecnología y el hardware aprovechan la nostalgia de principios de los años 90 y utilizan a la TikToker Addison Rae como musa de la generación Z. En su nueva campaña publicitaria con Rae, Google cuenta […]
