Outsmarting Social Media: Profiting in the Age of Friendship Marketing

2. The New Influences in Search and Social Media

As we move away from the pre-2010 world where everyone saw the same results for a given search on Google, we can reflect on what a silly proposition that was. The idea that a single answer could exist that satisfies all people is an antiquated concept, one that relies too heavily on a one-size-fits-all philosophy. If I, a California resident, typed “heat wave” into Google, I would probably be referring to the weather event, whereas if my best friend, a DJ who lives in Brooklyn, typed it in, he would probably be referring to the 1963 Motown song. For decades, our society has been pushing toward technology that truly “knows” its user. Today, we are at a unique moment in history where this possibility ...