There's an interesting aricle in The Economist's Online Magazine "Intelligent Life" by Ian Leslie on how Internet may be hampering innovation. He points out that as search engines like Google and social networks like Facebook give us back more of what they guess we want (rather than what we may need) we end up in a less varied and diverse world - at least online. Many innovations come about by serendipity, and the Web is moving away from that, and more towards a tailored, personalized experience.
I am not sure I buy the entire argument, as many Web users (including myself) find a way to "discover" information in innovative ways, even using Search alone. But it is interesting as a framework for the larger issue - the move towards Search and away from Browse as a model for behavior on the Web.
Do we want tailored? Is personalized always good? Possibly not. Check out Leslie's article and see for yourself:
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