Google is developing a new feature called Big Moments, which is poised to go against Twitter and Facebook in curating breaking news and updates during major events.
Over the years, Twitter and Facebook have developed complex algorithms and networks to sieve through major news and ensure they surface to their readers and users.
However, with Google’s new feature, users will see how different news sources are reporting on an event and, in some cases, even follow reporting in real-time. This feature is bound to change the landscape of online news reporting.
As the world’s largest search engine, Google has lagged in reporting important breaking news like the attack on the Capitol Building. This forced many online users to depend on Facebook and Twitter for on-the-ground reporting.
Google’s new feature will improve the previous services offered by both Facebook and Twitter since it hopes to utilize its Full Coverage feature to provide the same news to everyone.
According to a Pew Research study, a third of US adults (31%) use Facebook to get regular news, and 13% rely on Twitter. However, 40% of the respondents stated that they did not trust news from social media sites. Compared to just 10% who don’t trust Google search.
These are good odds for Google. By introducing Big Moments, Google will manage to curate authoritative facts and eliminate noise from unverified sites, something Facebook and Twitter have been unable to do.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced Google to respond to users’ search queries, seeking further information on verified government statements, statistics, and relevant safety information. This situation provided Google a better understanding of online users’ appetite for fast information catered to their demographic.
The pandemic further increased news consumption, and even as it subsides, users continue to rely on Google for verified information from reliable sources. Upon this trust and reliability, Google hopes to catapult Big Moments to cover a wider variety of news based on geographical location.
Google hopes to become the market leader in news reporting by providing better news sources.