Spink A., Zimmer M. (eds.) Web Search. Multidisciplinary Perspectives

Springer, 2008, -343 p.The inspiration for this book emerged from the editors’ participation in a panel discussion on Web search engines at an annual meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. This multidisciplinary panel of Web search researches revealed the diversity of scholars interested in Web searching, coupled with a broad range of questions, attitudes, and approaches. It became clear that more cross-fertilization was necessary between the disciplines to ensure Web search engines (the entities) and Web searching (the user behavior) received the thorough scholarly attention they deserved. This book is a result of that realization, and an important first step in achieving new levels of awareness and collaboration across disciplines.
The book represents a core theme within the intellectual pursuits of the editors. The first editor (Spink) is an information scientist who has worked with, taught and has researched the informational dimensions of Web searching since 1997. The second editor (Zimmer) is a scholar of culture and communication who focuses on the political and ethical dimensions of new media and information technologies, and whose dissertation research focused on the value-related consequences of the quest for the perfect search engine.
This book is intended as a resource for researchers, educators, students, and practitioners. Researchers in the fields of social sciences, communication studies, cultural studies, information science , and related disciplines will all find the chapters presented here as a valuable source of new ideas on Web search. This book is also an appropriate text for advanced undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral level courses in areas of Web search. In addition, anyone who is interested in understanding Web search behavior and Web search engines will surely find this book a valuable read. Each section contains one or more chapters relating to the broader area of the section. Each chapter has a unique perspective and reference list. The chapters are cross-referenced where appropriate to illustrate how the different topics mesh together to form a broader expanse of Web search.Part I IntroductionPart II Social, Cultural, and Philosophical Perspectives
Through the Google Goggles: Sociopolitical Bias in Search Engine Design
Reconsidering the Rhizome: A Textual Analysis of Web Search Engines as Gatekeepers of the Internet
Exploring Gendered Notions: Gender, Job Hunting and Web Searches
Searching Ethics: The Role of Search Engines in the Construction and Distribution of Knowledge
The Gaze of the Perfect Search Engine: Google as an Infrastructure of Dataveillance
Part III Political, Legal, and Economic Perspectives
Search Engine Liability for Copyright Infringement
Search Engine Bias and the Demise of Search Engine Utopianism
The Democratizing Effects of Search Engine Use: On Chance Exposures and Organizational Hubs
‘Googling’ Terrorists: Are Northern Irish Terrorists Visible on Internet Search Engines?
The History of the Internet Search Engine: Navigational Media and the Traffi c Commodity
Part IV Information Behavior Perspectives
Toward a Web Search Information Behavior Model
Web Searching for Health: Theoretical Foundations and Connections to Health Related Outcomes
Search Engines and Expertise about Global Issues: Well-defi ned Landscape or Undomesticated Wilderness?
Conceptual Models for Search Engines
Web Searching: A Quality Measurement Perspective
Part V Conclusion
Conclusions and Further Research