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Googlearchy, or googlocracy, is a term associated with ways in which a search engine, like Google, can influence politics and social reality in general. More broadly, the term is intended to reflect on how certain technological developments can influence or dominate the organization of society. The scope of the term can have a variety of uses, such as the issues with freedom of the press and how modern politics are done through the use of the internet, with technologies such as Google. One issue raised when considering the googlearchy phenomenon in web politics is in considering whether the changes brought by technologies such as Google have reinforced the media that is already more powerful, or the other way around. This embodies itself in the hierarchy of an internet search, in which traditional media outlets and institutions are often at the top of the page, allowing little room for non-traditional or non-mainstream media. Resultantly, this creates a discourse of consensus politics, reinforcing social and political norms.
