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There's a very good reason why we call Internet memes and themes "viral." Good and bad information spreads on the Web in much the same way those nasty bundles of nucleic acid and proteins do when they attack your body's cells and make you sick. Some of the Internet news items I've seen related to the H1N1 swine flu virus are making me feel a little ill. I see nothing public service-related about the page view bait that has popped up since H1N1 started taking priority in newsrooms around the world.
The article started out with a good premise -- Web headlines are sensationalistic and often inaccurate but that's what drives eyeballs and ad dollars.
You lost me though when, after badgering The Drudge Report, AOL and Yahoo (you may as well have thrown in CNN, MSNBC, New York Times and everyone else who does the same thing), you wrote "What's harder to explain is how a company that has promised not to "be evil" might also be fogging up the air..."
Google isn't writing deceptive headlines. They aggregate search results. You complain about their flu tracker search query aggregation and say that it is "harder to explain" than deceptive headlines -- but present a weak argument about how senior citizens might use the flu tracker and get unduly scared? C'mon...
This would be a much better article if you kept the focus on misleading, money-grubbing headlines.
You lost me though when, after badgering The Drudge Report, AOL and Yahoo (you may as well have thrown in CNN, MSNBC, New York Times and everyone else who does the same thing), you wrote "What's harder to explain is how a company that has promised not to "be evil" might also be fogging up the air..."
Google isn't writing deceptive headlines. They aggregate search results. You complain about their flu tracker search query aggregation and say that it is "harder to explain" than deceptive headlines -- but present a weak argument about how senior citizens might use the flu tracker and get unduly scared? C'mon...
This would be a much better article if you kept the focus on misleading, money-grubbing headlines.
Flu Fear Goes Viral on the Web - rebuttal
Posted by: thyorison 2009-11-13 05:33:07 In reply to: Renay San Miguel
It's OK to yell "fire" in a crowded theater if the theater really is on fire. Within the next year, thousands of children who had no "underlying health issues" will die from H1N1 because their parents were not frightened enough to get them vaccinated. You are certainly entitled to set up your soap box and air your contrarian views. But please make sure your soap box isn't blocking the theater exit.
- Ray Eston Smith Jr
- Ray Eston Smith Jr
