“Ask Google”: The role of the search machinery in the construction of knowledge about climate change

Abstract

The increased media attention to climate change is closely tied to the development and accessibility of web and social media platforms. These networked channels have partially replaced traditional media as information intermediaries and provide a direct voice to climate change stakeholders, some denialists or skeptical about the seriousness of the climate emergency. This research investigates the actors involved and their visibility in search engines to better understand how Google algorithms structure the communication in Spanish surrounding this issue. The searches and results about climate change in six Spanish-speaking countries have been observed using a mixed methodology based on digital methods and discourse qualitative analysis. Many searches directly engage with the debate about the veracity of climate change. Traditional media or well-established sources in each country’s market tend to have better positioning in Google. However, most of the content is opinion articles, which facilitates the perception of climate change as a debatable topic.