Searching for a good life: Data analysis and Google with Simon Rogers

Google processes billions of searches every day, and the data behind the searches say a lot about us. The data analysis presents fascinating insights not just for social science, but for every person using search engines to navigate modern life.

In the final episode of Season 11 of the We Society with Will Hutton, join Simon Rogers, Data Editor at Google, and author of What We Ask Google, as he talks about the two decades of data from the world’s biggest search engine that reveal our inner desires, moods and secrets. The data analysis findings are uplifting, with less division and cynicism than you'd expect, and a lot more curiosity, confusion, and kindness.

This episode is ideal for listeners interested in topical issues, social science, data analysis, and internet history.  

In the We Society, join acclaimed journalist and Academy of Social Sciences president Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their solutions to society’s most pressing problems. In this series social science calls on aspects of business, education, economics, geopolitics, healthcare, human geography and more, exploring their impact on society and the social policy they can inspire. The We Society is for those interested in how social science impacts their world, and how evidence backed research can improve it.

Don't want to miss an episode? Follow the show on your favourite podcast platform and you can email us at wesociety@acss.org.uk to tell us who we should be speaking to.

The We Society podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust.

Producer: Emily Uchida Finch
Assistant Producer: Emily Gilbert 
A Whistledown Production for the Academy of Social Sciences