Podcast

Life Lessons From Google Search With Simon Rogers – TWMJ #1047

Welcome to episode #1047 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

Simon Rogers has spent his career turning data into stories that help us better understand the world… and ourselves. A former news editor at The Guardian, where he founded and edited its influential Datablog, Simon is now the Data Editor at Google, working with Google Trends, one of the largest publicly accessible datasets of human curiosity and behaviour ever created. He is also the co-host of The Data Journalism Podcast and a longtime advocate for open data, visualization and making complex information meaningful. His new book, What We Ask Google – A Surprisingly Hopeful History Of Humankind, explores what billions of searches reveal about our private fears, shared vulnerabilities, cultural obsessions and desire to help one another. In this episode, Simon discusses why search offers a uniquely intimate portrait of humanity… not the carefully curated version we present on social media, but the questions we ask when we genuinely need answers. He explains how searches surrounding grief, friendship, parenting, health and crisis reveal that people are often far less alone than they feel, and perhaps more compassionate than our public discourse suggests. We also explore Google Trends as a cultural and predictive signal, the communities formed through shared curiosity, and why being surrounded by data does not necessarily make us more insightful. Simon reflects on how AI is changing the language and complexity of our searches without fundamentally changing what humans want to know. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of search as a collective stream of consciousness… chaotic, vulnerable, curious and surprisingly hopeful. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 53:45.
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What We Ask Google – A Surprisingly Hopeful History Of Humankind.
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Chapters:

(00:00) – The Role of a Data Editor.
(02:47) – Exploring Optimism Through Data.
(05:57) – Understanding Human Connection Through Search.
(09:05) – Cultural Reflections in Search Trends.
(11:59) – The Intimacy of Search Queries.
(15:08) – The Power of Data Visualization.
(17:57) – Shifts in Search Behavior During Covid.
(21:05) – The Complexity of Community and Connection.
(23:57) – Echo Chambers and Misinformation.
(27:06) – Predictive Power of Search Data.
(28:19) – AI’s Impact on Search Behavior.
(33:28) – Understanding AI Integration in Search.
(36:12) – Data Richness vs. Insightfulness.
(39:01) – The Art of Data Storytelling.
(41:25) – Search Behavior and Societal Reflections.
(44:16) – Loneliness and Connection in Search Data.
(45:39) – The Future of AI and Search Engines.

Download the Podcast here: #1047 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

Before you go… ThinkersOne gives you direct access to the experts shaping tomorrow’s conversations. Get their insights on leadership, AI, culture and innovation all delivered to your team before the rest of the world catches on. Ideal for your meetings, off-sites, and lunch & learns.

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.