Google Search

Information Literacy Reminders:
These assignments are open-ended by design and are meant to simulate the type of instructions you would get in a work environment. The goal is to get you comfortable working with datasets and interpreting information. In addition, these activities build the “critical thinking muscle” by requiring you to consider the information resource more critically than you may have previously done. When you are performing your analysis in any given assignment, remember to place context on all data and link it to the relevant course concepts. Your conclusions in any given assignment should be supported by your observations/analysis and demonstrate your comprehensive understanding of the topic(s). These assignments are submitted via D2L.
Instructions:
Please watch this TED Talk on the Filter Bubble which inspired this assignment:
http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html
Come up with a phrase that is timely and perhaps controversial and then conduct some original research in order to determine whether you are living within the filter bubble that Eli Pariser refers to in his talk. Please follow these steps:

1. Select a search phrase.
2. Select 3 people who have varying demographical characteristics (age, race, gender, political affiliation, etc.) and an active Google account (perhaps your mom, co-worker, friend). Remember that each person needs their own log-in to Google.
3. Provide these research subjects with the following set of instructions:
   i. Log into your Google account (usually via Gmail)
   ii. Conduct a Google search on the phrase you have been given
   iii. Take a screenshot of the first page of results
   iv. Send this screenshot to the researcher along with your first name and basic demographic data all within a single file.
4. Complete step #3 yourself.
5. Compile all the results in an Excel file and then create a table summarizing the demographic characteristics of all your participants (you and your research subjects). You will include this table in step #6.
6. Write up your findings in an Executive Summary that is 800 words or less (If you can fulfill the requirements with fewer words that is great, but be sure to address all the requirements). Be sure to follow the guidelines set in the BA 325 Information Literacy Expectations and the BA 325 Information Literacy Assessment Rubric (You may use any font size/style/paragraph spacing/line spacing that you are comfortable with). In your analysis and interpretation, consider how your results relate to the TED Talk and course concepts. Support your findings with the Excel table (use print screen and crop to cut and paste).
   Some example questions you might ask in your analysis:
   • What are you able to say about filtering, given the results that were received?
   • Are there results everyone received?
   • Why might person “X” have been the only one to receive “Y” search result?
   It will be very easy for me to spot cursory or questionable effort. When you upload your assignment to the D2L Assignments folder, you are stating that the work is your own. All assignments will be evaluated through TurnItIn, so any metadata that is not your own will flag an Academic Integrity Review.