scott bessent: What's the deal?

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Tech's "People Also Ask" Obsession: Are We Really This Clueless?

Alright, let's get one thing straight: this whole "People Also Ask" (PAA) box thing that's infested every Google search is driving me nuts. Are we, as a species, really so intellectually bankrupt that we need Google to spoon-feed us the most basic questions about... well, everything?

The Age of the Algorithmically-Defined Question

Seriously, I just Googled "what is the meaning of life" (don't judge me, I was bored), and right there, smack-dab in the middle of the results, is this little box of pre-approved queries. "What is the real purpose of life?" "What makes life meaningful?" "How do I find my purpose?" It's like Google is curating our existential crises now. Thanks, I guess?

And it's not just existential stuff. Try searching for anything tech-related. "Is Apple doomed?" (Spoiler alert: it never is). "Will AI take my job?" (Probably, eventually). It's the same formula, regurgitated ad nauseam. It's like some algorithm somewhere decided we're all too dumb to formulate our own questions.

Don't even get me started on the "Related Searches" section. It's the PAA's slightly less annoying cousin, but still... the implication is clear: "Hey, you searched for this, so you're probably also interested in that." No, Google, I'm not always interested in that. Sometimes, I just want to know one damn thing and move on with my life.

Here's a question: who decides what goes into these boxes, anyway? Is there some team of Google employees sitting around a table, brainstorming the most mind-numbingly obvious questions they can think of? Or is it all data-driven, based on what the masses are already searching for? Actually, I don't know which is worse.

Echo Chambers and Intellectual Laziness

The real problem with PAA isn't just the annoyance factor. It's the way it reinforces existing echo chambers. If everyone's being funneled towards the same set of questions, they're going to end up with the same set of answers. And that, my friends, is how you create a society of intellectual zombies.

It's like we're outsourcing our curiosity to an algorithm. Why bother thinking for ourselves when Google can tell us what to think about? It's the ultimate form of intellectual laziness, and we're all falling for it.

Then again, maybe I'm just being a grumpy old man, yelling at clouds. Maybe people genuinely find these PAA boxes helpful. Maybe they're a valuable tool for exploring new topics and expanding one's knowledge. But let's be real: how many people actually click on those questions and read the answers? Or do they just glance at them and move on, feeling like they've done their due diligence?

I'll tell you what it reminds me of: those "For Dummies" books. Remember those? They were supposed to make complex topics accessible to everyone, but all they really did was dumb everything down to the point of absurdity. PAA is the digital equivalent of "Quantum Physics for Dummies," except even dumber.

The Future of Dumb Questions

So, where does this all lead? Are we destined to become a society of question-asking automatons, blindly following the algorithmic breadcrumbs laid out by Google and its ilk? Will future generations even know how to formulate their own thoughts, or will they just rely on PAA to tell them what to think?

Offcourse, I'm exaggerating...probably. But the trend is clear: we're becoming increasingly reliant on technology to do our thinking for us. And that, my friends, is a dangerous path to tread. At what point do we lose the ability to think critically and independently? At what point do we become nothing more than passive consumers of information, regurgitating the same pre-packaged answers over and over again?

I just hope we don't reach a point where Google starts suggesting the answers before we even ask the questions. Now that would be truly terrifying.

We're All Doomed to Ask the Same Stupid Questions