Presenter: Kelly Rodgers
Mentor: Kim Sheehan, Journalism (Advertising)
Poster: 57
Major: Journalism (Public Relations)
Last December, Google Inc. reported a whopping $66 billion in total revenue for 2014 alone. Surprisingly, just one branch of the Google money tree accounted for approximately 90% of that revenue: online advertising. In 2014, Google AdWords generated over $59 billion in advertising sales—income that backs every innovative project, invention, acquisition, and investment Google undertakes. However, to someone using a search engine, the process of how the results on the page appear after the search is conducted is somewhat opaque: some ads are ‘organic’ and appear based on a Google algorithm, and others are paid, or ‘sponsored’ advertisements. Therefore, the search results presented on a page contain certain signals that may affect how users perceive the credibility of the results. Additionally, the manner in which results are presented: through text ads and through map placements, may also affect credibility. Through investigation of search query results presented in a graphic/visual way, we can measure potential impact on user actions, while contributing to existing studies on credibility and user bias.