apr 6
2010
Google Is Butchering the Written Word
The central premise of this essay at online literary mag Wag's Revue - that both the ubiquity and SEO-focus of Google mean that quantity reigns over quality - feels a bit over the top.
But, beyond being really funny, it does make two important points: 1) that "the fact that the internet emerged in an advanced capitalist society where knowledge is intensely privatized and proprietary [means] the valorization of surplus value trumps ethical concerns"; and 2) that SEO depends on finding and tricking 'e-rubes' to fall for AdSense ads that no-one I know ever actually clicks on.
Might lean too far toward the Keen-Carr side of the spectrum, but it's smart and well-written enough to make it worth a read. -NA Update: PDF of the essay.
