Annoyed Redditors tanking Google Search results illustrates perils of AI scrapers (arstechnica.com)
from VITecNet@programming.dev to technology@beehaw.org on 25 Oct 19:41
https://programming.dev/post/20973813

#technology

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Rentlar@lemmy.ca on 25 Oct 20:14 next collapse

DDG only recommending older Reddit answers as a result of the Google deal may be a net positive for it then.

OneRedFox@beehaw.org on 26 Oct 00:14 collapse

Occasionally when I’m searching for something, I’ll check out some Reddit links and honestly it’s a crapshoot as to whether half of the comments have been deleted or not. Useful search results are getting to be a pain to come by.

averyminya@beehaw.org on 26 Oct 00:44 next collapse

It is rough isn’t it? It used to be that you’d get the forum style answer, now most of the people who wrote those deleted their accounts.

Pre-2019 searches that resulted in deleted comments happened, but rarely. Post Exodus it is now very flippant on the results you’ll get.

thingsiplay@beehaw.org on 26 Oct 02:47 collapse

Maybe those comments are still up in Internet Archive.

misk@sopuli.xyz on 25 Oct 21:00 next collapse

By adding "site:reddit.com” to search results, users can hone their search to more easily find answers from real people.

I’m convinced that media that keep saying this are in cahoots with advertisers who have noticed this ages ago and have astroturfed Reddit beyond being reliable source of information since then.

OneRedFox@beehaw.org on 26 Oct 00:11 collapse

Yeah, it’s really weird that people keep acting like Reddit hasn’t been astroturfed to shit for years at this point. I wouldn’t trust the product reviews I see there.

Kissaki@beehaw.org on 26 Oct 09:20 next collapse

Just like it took a decade for media and mainstream to pick up Reddit, it’ll take a decade for that to seep through.

millie@beehaw.org on 26 Oct 10:03 collapse

What I find not only strange, but extremely suspect, is that people who acknowledge that reddit has been heavily astroturfed deny up and down that it’s also happening here.

Cube6392@beehaw.org on 26 Oct 12:27 next collapse

i took a month long hiatus and am probably gonna continue that pattern. the threadiverse has gone completely insane the last couple months and i worry about the people for whom this is their sole gateway into the fediverse, and what they think the consensus on what reality is. i’m mostly on mastodon at this point and have been just… talking to my neighbors more

DdCno1@beehaw.org on 26 Oct 12:49 collapse

Yup, although my impression is that a significant part of it is spread by people who agree with the disinformation they are posting here. Then again, if a user behaves exactly like a paid troll, it doesn’t really matter to me whether or not they might actually be doing it for free. The damage is the same.

bradorsomething@ttrpg.network on 25 Oct 22:45 next collapse

before:YYYY-MM-DD

thingsiplay@beehaw.org on 26 Oct 02:42 next collapse

people often turn to the Reddit hack to make Google results more helpful. By adding "site:reddit.com” to search results

HACKERMAN

megopie@beehaw.org on 29 Oct 18:19 collapse

you know what’s funny to me, that when large organizations manipulate the apparent consensus on Reddit about a topic, that’s “clever marketing” and “innovative campaign techniques”.

When a bunch of random people collectively organize to do it suddenly it’s a “dangerous”