I don’t think an entire personality (a full complex identity) can be boxed into searched categories. Whether it is the most efficient search engine on the web or the best search tool on a social networking website, neither one can determine ‘who you are’. It can simply narrow down some of the things you are interested in at this specific time. A more appropriate term for characterization of an individual through search engines would be a “theory of you,” as mentioned in Chapter 4.

However, comparing Facebook and Google as tools to determine your personality, Google would definetely take the cake. As discussed in the chapter, people have tendancies to filter out what they share on Facebook to appear a certain way to others. With Google search, there is a bigger illusion of privacy and nobody is holding back. The engine stores a history of everything ranging from medical issues to celebrity crushes. Google browsing history remembers exactly what you like, what you hate, what your friends might like (if they searched through your browser), what your family members might prefer, etc.

With that said, I believe Facebook advertisements have higher potential of reaching the right audiences based on personal preferences and bringing potential clients/customers to the company being advertized. Neither one of these search engines lives up to the principle of “an entirely private context.” Just the mere idea of a search engine forming an opinion on who you are and what you prefer to see and buy promotes anything but privacy.