The Information Billboard: Effects of Popular Search Terms on Search Behaviors and Digital Divide
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Date
2024-01-03
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6999
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Popular search terms (PSTs), which provide real- time access to frequently searched terms, have been instrumental in saving time and reducing search costs for information seekers. Recently, a major search engine in Korea abruptly discontinued its PSTs feature. This study examines the impact of this termination on search behaviors, specifically among information-poor individuals such as the elderly, the poor, low-income earners, and those with lower education levels. Using unique panel datasets reflecting search engine app usage, we employed reduced-form approaches to comprehensively analyze the effects of this policy change on digital divide in forms of information disparity across diverse social groups. The removal of PSTs generally discouraged user engagement in searches. Of greater concern is the asymmetric effect of discontinuation based on socioeconomic status, as disadvantaged users experienced significantly increased search costs. These underprivileged users were less able to effectively utilize alternative search venues compared to their more privileged counterparts.
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From Digital Divide to Digital Equity and Inclusion: ICT Access, Adoption, and Use among Vulnerable Populations, difference-in- differences., digital divide, information inequality, mobile apps, popular search terms
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10 pages
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Proceedings of the 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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