Ahmed A. Allam|Peter Schulz|Kent Nakamoto
The Impact of Search Engine Selection and Sorting Criteria on Vaccination Beliefs and Attitudes: Two Experiments Manipulating Google Output
Università della Svizzera italiana|Università della Svizzera italiana|Virginia Tech
past 2 decades internet evolved become necessity daily lives selection sorting algorithms search engines exert tremendous influence global spread information communication processesthis study concerned demonstrating influence selection sortingranking criteria operating search engines users knowledge beliefs attitudes websites vaccination particular compare effects search engines deliver websites emphasizing pro side vaccination focusing con side normal google control groupwe conducted 2 online experiments using manipulated search engines pilot study verify existence dangerous health literacy connection searching using health information internet exploring effect 2 manipulated search engines yielded either pro con vaccination sites group receiving normal google control prepost test design used participants american marketing students enrolled studyabroad program lugano switzerland second experiment manipulated search engine applying different ratios con versus pro vaccination webpages displayed search results participants recruited amazons mechanical turk platform published human intelligence task hitboth experiments showed knowledge highest group offered pro vaccination sites z2088 p03 kruskalwallis h test h1130 p04 acknowledged importancebenefits z2326 p02 h51134 p04 effectiveness z2230 p03 vaccination whereas groups offered antivaccination sites showed increased concern effects z2582 p01 h1688 p005 harmful health outcomes z2200 p02 vaccination normal google users perceived information quality positive despite small effect knowledge negative effect beliefs attitudes toward vaccination willingness recommend information 141 p01 exposure antivaccination websites lowered participants knowledge j47835 z2142 p03 increased fear side effects j6496 z2724 p006 lowered acknowledgment benefits j4805 z2067 p03the selection sortingranking criteria search engines play vital role online health information seeking search engines delivering websites containing credible evidencebased medical information impact positively internet users seeking health information whereas sites retrieved biased search engines create opinion change users effects apparently independent users site credibility evaluation judgments users affected beneficially detrimentally unaware suggesting consciously perceptive indicators steer toward credible sources away dangerous ones sense online health information seeker flying blind