Google’s invisible hand and the dilemma of independent media

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Independent media outlets in Turkey say that their traffic has dropped dramatically due to Google’s algorithm changes, which they claim threatens their economic sustainability.

Similar allegations have been made in the past, but this time the situation is more dire: reader traffic from tools like Google Discover and Google News has suddenly been cut by 98 percent. And the most painful part is that they cannot get a clear answer as to why they are experiencing this.

Google’s algorithms are not transparent. When and which content will be highlighted, and which sources will become invisible, is largely uncertain.

According to the company, these changes are being made to improve the user experience. However, in reality, from the perspective of media organizations, the meaning of this “improvement” is quite different: traffic that existed one day evaporates the next, advertising revenues fall, and as a result, media outlets reach the point of closure.

Independent media, already struggling with political pressure, is now facing the “invisible censorship” of such digital giants. But there is a critical question here: Is this really a targeted attack on independent media outlets, or is it a side effect of a broader algorithmic transformation?

The answer to this question is important because if Google is intentionally targeting specific media outlets, it is clear censorship. However, if the event is merely the result of an algorithmic update, then the real problem is the extent of the dependency on Google. And here, the media also has its own share of responsibility.

YOU ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR GOOGLE REACHING THIS STATE

For years, we watched news sites surrender to Google. They did not establish advertising departments, they did not build their own advertising networks, and they were desperate to be included in Google News. It didn't stop there; they even started writing news in an SEO-friendly way. Everything from headlines to columns was made “compliant with Google algorithms.” News headlines were filled with the most searched keywords. The result? The media left its own fate to the mercy of Google.

Now they are complaining: “Google is blocking us, cutting our traffic!” Well, of course it will! If you have become this dependent on its ecosystem and its rules, it was inevitable that you would receive such a blow one day.

If independent media were truly independent, Google’s algorithm changes would not have shaken them so much. But now, even the word “independent” is nothing more than an illusion. The ecosystem was built in such a way that journalism became dependent on the commercial decisions of Google and other large technology companies.

YOUTUBE IS NEXT

Now a group of people is broadcasting via YouTube and earning copyright revenue from their content. Can those who earn income per view today guarantee that this revenue stream won't be closed off by a Google update tomorrow? What is happening to independent media right now will happen to YouTube creators tomorrow. Algorithms will change, the money flow will be cut off in an instant, and the “Is there censorship?” debates will begin again.

But the truth is this: Google is a technology company that acts in its own interests. It has no ideological motivation to keep anyone alive or to bankrupt anyone. Its concern is money. But because independent media has not built its own advertising model for years, it is now struggling like a fish out of water.

THOSE WHO DO NOT PROTEST GOOGLE, THOSE WHO TAKE A STAND AGAINST AMERICA

Why do those who blame America for every problem and say that one must stand against it, rush to Google at the slightest internet problem? Why do public institutions not take a step against Google’s advertising policies?

Even more interestingly, why are public authorities not bothered by the fact that thanks to Google’s SEO algorithm, we get the answers to every question from Iftar times to eczema treatment from newspapers like Hürriyet, Milliyet, and Sabah?

Why do public institutions, which interfere with which series will play on Netflix or who will take part in Exxen, remain silent while the media is crushed by Google’s algorithms?

The answers to these questions are clear. Because not only do they not show resistance to Google’s monopolistic structure, but the media has also handed over its own future to tech giants. The crisis experienced today is not only the crisis of independent media outlets, but the crisis of us all. But strangely enough, no one has a concrete step toward a solution.

Now everyone is hoping for help from Google. But Google is neither obligated to save independent media nor will it make a special effort to change this trend. If the media really wants to be independent, it must first question its own dependencies.