The prediction power of a group is frighteningly accurate. Get a large number of individuals together and ask them to vote on the answer to a question and (as long as it has nothing to do with politics) you’ve got a nearly foolproof answering system. This group intelligence has been exploited in the past by marketers, advertisers, governments & corporations, but the world of search gives us new insight.
Mis-spellings, for example, can be checked by noting the number of results for a particular spelling of a word, phrase or name. Comparitive popularity can also be seen using the number of searches a particular term or phrase received vs. a competitor. For example, Thomas Hayden Church was recently signed to play Spiderman’s nemesis in the third movie. But, the identity of the villain he portrays remains in doubt, but for this quote from Yahoo’s Buzz Index:
The most searched-on villain in Spider-Man’s neighborhood is definitely Venom — interest in the long-tongued hisser quickly went from zilch into the thousands once the casting decision was announced. Sandman and Black Cat also have a bit of a following, as does the Hobgoblin, but search-wise, they can’t compare. So there you have it, Hollywood — if you want to make the fanboys happy, give ’em a shot of Venom.
Pretty compelling evidence, no?
