Google Is Turning the Internet Back Into Television

The internet was supposed to solve a problem.

For most of the twentieth century, gatekeepers had a stranglehold on information. Television networks dictated entertainment and opinion. Newspapers could make or break presidents. Big publishers determined which authors got read, and which stayed invisible.

The internet changed those rules. Anyone could create a website, publish articles, and build an audience. The web decentralized information like previous generations could never have imagined.

Google played a major role in that paradigm shift. Their search engine directed people seeking information toward top-ranked sources. In the process, they sent traffic to online publishers.

Everyone benefited … at least for a while.

Recent developments in A.I.-powered searches indicate that the former arrangement may be changing. More and more users receive answers directly from Google instead of visiting the web sites that host the original info.

That change sounds minor, but its implications are enormous.

Read the full post on Substack.