Study: Web searchers unable to pinpoint sponsored results

Via Slashdot: ABC News reports that a new study by Pew Internet finds that only one in six Internet users can differentiate between an advertisement and an unbiased search result. While several big search engines, such as Yahoo, Google and MSN, often tag their paid links with “sponsored site” or something of the like, the majority of Web users are still unable to make the distinction between paid and unbiased results. Despite this confusion, 92% of those surveyed feel confident in their Web searching capabilities.

About Sogole Honarvar

Sogole is a Master of Arts candidate in Strategic Public Relations at USC Annenberg. She enjoys entertainment, arts & culture, fashion and travel/tourism PR. She is a member of Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honor Society and student-run USC PR firm TriSight Communications. She has held and currently holds several PR internships at prestigious entertainment and fashion companies.