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How ‘Twilight’ Ruined Google Image Search Forever
Temporary popularity may permanently fool an otherwise intelligent algorithm
Join me in an experiment. We’re going to search for various times of day using Google’s Image Search. We’ll use a fresh Google Chrome Incognito window to ensure our results aren’t skewed. This is scientific, after all, and we want the most accurate results possible.
First, let’s try “sunrise.”
Well done, Google! I’m proud of you. Those are definitely photos of the sunrise. Now let’s try “midday.”
A bit more variety in these results but still totally fine. Google, you’re doing quite well. I’m impressed. How about “dusk?”
Perfect. Maybe Google’s all-knowing algorithms really do surface exactly what you’re looking for every single time. It’s an incredible engine, and it’s responsible for catapulting a late 1990s startup to a $1 trillion market value in 2020. Search is still vital to Google, so it’s important that it gets things right.
Just for kicks, and because I know this is going to return the exact result I want, let’s try one more: “twilight.”
Oh… nevermind.
The (surprisingly human) algorithm
To understand how pasty vampires and buff werewolves invaded Google Images, you have to first understand how Google’s algorithms work. That’s a challenge, as it’s a notoriously opaque machine and Google itself is often vague in its descriptions of how and why its engine returns the results it does. Offering a detailed description of…
