Google filtered World Cup search trend news to spare Brazil from further agony
If you love Brazilian futebol, this has been an especially tough week; that devastating loss to Germany in the World Cup semi-finals was a shock to fans used to victory. Thankfully for you, Google feels your pain. The internet giant has revealed to NPR that its experimental social newsroom for the Cup avoided covering some of the bigger Brazilian search trends during the lopsided match, such as “shame,” because they were simply too negative. As producer Sam Clohesy explains, the decision was motivated both by a desire to go viral as well as pure sympathy. People tend not to respond well to bad news on social networks, and Google would rather not “rub salt into the wounds” — unlike a regular news outlet, it has more incentive to write about cheerful happenings than calamities. The filtering isn’t going to restore Brazil’s lost chance at football glory, but it might make the next four years a little more bearable.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo]
Via: Slashdot
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