A senior research scientist from Google explained the importance of deep searching and how it has become a crucial part of journalism to an audience at the Walter Cronkite School on Monday night.
“Deep search is really about giving you the skills, the abilities of how to not be ‘that person,’” said Daniel Russell. “How to actually understand how to get access to this rich new wealth of content that’s out there, to understand what to do with it and how to make sense of it.”
According to Russell, the world has not always been as information-rich as it is today. He said that deep searching is about getting a more “rich and multi-layered understanding of these difficult concepts.”
Russell described his job as a “cyber-tribal-techno-cognitive-anthropologist,” which means he studies people and how they look for information.
“How do we understand ourselves in a world where we have massive amounts of information? What do we do with it?” Russell asked.
He said he also wonders what search methods one would need to use to become an expert researcher.
“Being part of our culture, our ‘Internet-using, information-baring, wealth of knowledge’ culture, means knowing certain fundamental things,” he said.
Russell said that if journalists do not know these fundamental things, such as concepts like disinformation and click bait — or even what certain emoticons mean — they won’t be able to understand the bigger picture.
Russell used the CTRL+F find command as an example, saying that the knowledge that a simple command like CTRL+F exists to quickly search for keywords in a document, “basically changes the way you read.” He said knowing this is one way that readers are enabled to find information at an expedited rate.
He said that if you ever find yourself doing a repetitive task, your first instinct should be, “There’s got to be a better way.”
“Look for the tools,” he said.
Kurtis Koogle, a freshman journalism major at the Cronkite School attended Russell’s lecture and was encouraged by the tips.
“In searching, using tools and the utilization of skills and techniques,” said Koogle, “The first step is knowing that it’s even possible.”
Dan Gillmor, professor of practice at the Cronkite School, said that Russell offers a two-week long course on deep searching.
“He has a course online; a massive course that has so far been taken by something like 700,000 people,” Gillmor said.
The course, “Basic Power Searching with Google,” will restart for new students on Dec. 7.
According to Russell, the chance to have so much information being made readily available is a lucky resource for any journalist to have.
“The ability to deep search isn’t just a nice thing to have … it is crucial in your existence as a reporter.”
Contact the reporter at melissa.szenda@asu.edu.
