Google has clearly changed, that's already covered, but the websites have changed too. Many have "google optimizations" that allows their crap get to you easier than the things you are looking for.
So the problem is bigger than "just" Google.
I do search on the internet a lot.
Luckily for me, I still get in about 75% of the cases what I expect in a Google search.
On the other hand, disappointingly, DuckDuckGo was almost similar to Bing for me: way off my actual questions.
I noticed that Bing is a little more like Google used to be.
Many searches yield similar results, but here's one where they really yield different answers.
To preface this, I do have a job, I'm just searching out of curiosity.
The search is as follows: "cycle of unemployment in those who never had jobs"
The google results are all sites that are more popular, yet useless. They provide definitions, or theories that are not really relevant to the question.
The bing results are actually a lot more useful.
I believe google was more like Bing is now (although not at all the same).
Try it, I wonder if you'll come to the same conclusions.
I'll list the results from each site for that same exact search.
Google: cycle of unemployment in those who never had jobs
1. Khan Academy Lesson: Irrelevant
https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/ap-macroeconomics/economic-iondicators-and-the-business-cycle/unemployment/a/lesson-summary-unemployment2. Khan Academy Lesson: Irrelevant
https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/macroeconomics/macro-economic-indicators-and-the-business-cycle/macro-unemployment/a/lesson-summary-unemployment?modal=13. Investopedia: Barely relevant
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/050715/what-difference-between-structural-unemployment-and-cyclical-unemployment.asp4.Investopedia: Barely relevant
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/050715/what-difference-between-structural-unemployment-and-cyclical-unemployment.asp5. The Balance: Barely relevant
https://www.thebalance.com/types-of-unemployment-3305522Bing: cycle of unemployment in those who never had jobs (same search)
1. smh.com: Highly Relevant
https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/breaking-the-cycle-of-intergenerational-unemployment-20171211-p4yxlf.html2. CNBC: Irrelevant
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/23/can-i-get-unemployment-after-quitting-or-refusing-my-job-heres-what-to-know.html3. Stand Together Foundation: Highly Relevant (Result leads to different page, unless the cached page is accessed, I will use the cached page as the url of the search result in any such cases)
https://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=cycle+of+unemployment+in+those+who+never+had+jobs&d=4533312323323726&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=7WyVH72kzmINg0wYGs7XaToj500NDPA34. Khan Academy Lesson: Irrelevant
https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/ap-macroeconomics/economic-iondicators-and-the-business-cycle/unemployment/a/lesson-summary-unemployment5. thestreet.com: Barely Relevant
https://www.thestreet.com/mishtalk/economics/over-26-million-unemployment-claims-filed-in-just-5-weeksI don't want to rate more than the first few results because I'm pressed for time
However Bing did manage to dig up something useful in the first 5 results even if the page was the cached version:
Here's an excerpt:
Long-term unemployment is defined as looking for work for 27 weeks or more – roughly six months. Once someone hits the six-month mark, they are less attractive to potential employers and are less likely to find a job. The economy also significantly influences long-term unemployment. The percentage of unemployed workers who were seeking employment for longer than six months doubled between 2007 and 2013 to almost 40 percent of the unemployed.
But, it’s not just an economic problem. The consequences of long-term unemployment are manifold. Joblessness is correlated with poor nutrition and health, as well as high property crime. Unemployment has detrimental effects not just on someone’s finances, but also on their psyche. The effects of unemployment on mental health are significant. Depression is more common in the unemployed – occurring at more than twice the rate than those with full-time work. For the long-term unemployed, it’s even higher. Unemployment is also commonly associated with anxiety and low self-esteem.
It makes sense. A job is a defining part of our existence. We spend more time working than doing almost anything else. It gives us meaning, purpose, and a livelihood. The loss of a job and unemployment come riddled with self-doubt, hopelessness, and despair. And, the barriers to overcome unemployment grow larger with time.
In the Google of the past I wouldn't expect all that garbage clogging up result space. Bing is about the same as google but to me it looks like the results are more similar to what Google was in the past.
I can't prove it but it feels like search engines nowadays are pushing results rather then serving them up. Kind of like here is what is promoted and cleared for these terms rather than here is what is showing up in the database.
