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Description
The vast amount of information online exceeds human processing capacity, leading users to rely on search engines for curated content. To rank prominently, Web content providers employ search engine marketing (SEM). While SEM may improve representational quality by presenting well-structured content, it may compromise intrinsic quality, such as objectivity. This raises two key questions: How do SEM-affiliated pages differ in quality from those that do not use SEM, and how does this variation affect user knowledge gain?
To address these questions, a preliminary model of information search behavior was developed and tested through an online survey of 2,403 German internet users and an expert evaluation of information quality. The findings show that high intrinsic quality pages, mainly organic results, positively contribute to knowledge gain, while paid ads often link to lower-quality content. Users with strong search engine literacy are also better at identifying quality information that enhances knowledge.
This dissertation offers implications for academia, education, and search engine providers, highlighting the need to strengthen search engine literacy and to improve ad quality to support learning outcomes.
Sebastian Schultheiß, HAW Hamburg.
