Conspiracy theorist is not a term I would typically use to describe myself.
When I wasn’t able to find information while researching for my columns, my first thought wasn’t to assume the government was censoring my search results.
I often found myself spending an excessively long time scrolling through Google results, but I simply thought it was operator error on my behalf. I figured I wasn’t looking up the right terms or inquiring about the right topics. For weeks, I had myself convinced.
Eventually, however, I began noticing an alarming pattern unfold. I could no longer ignore the fact that search engines had become increasingly difficult to navigate.
The first couple of times I couldn’t find supporting facts, quotes, articles and statistics, I didn’t really take notice. Scouring Google for information became a constant chore each time I researched for an article. I began wondering if the problem I was facing was a legitimate issue.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t find any information. It was moreso the information I could find only supported one opinion and reflected one perspective on controversial issues.
After hours upon hours of painstaking, fruitless research, a seemingly absurd thought crossed my mind.
It occurred to me the government might be censoring my search results.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m a pretty rational person, and I don’t normally jump to conclusions. I went through countless possibilities in my head as I tried to understand why this was happening. Still, the problem persisted.
Many of the topics I researched were extremely controversial — GMOs, educational voucher systems, global warming and immigration — and my personal stances on many have leaned toward a liberal bias.
When I tried to find facts, quotes and statistics to support my argument, I had to scroll through pages of Google results just to find one article with useful information.
Based on my own experience, I believe it’s linked to a much larger issue — one in which the government might inhibit the people’s free access to information.
President Donald Trump has made one thing clear: he is not fond of the media. In fact, he has said the most urgent problem facing America is the media “is out of control.” For someone who thinks journalism is plagued by “false, horrible, fake reporting,” is it really too far-fetched to say Trump might censor the internet?
Restricting access to information is a hinder to democracy. History has shown the more democratic a society, the more news and information it tends to have. Trump has suggested freedom of speech is harming the fight against terrorism and has proposed “closing up” parts of the internet.
“Somebody will say, ‘Oh freedom of speech, freedom of speech,’” Trump said, according to a December 2015 article by TIME. “These are foolish people. We have a lot of foolish people.”
In January, the Associated Press reported Trump banned Environmental Protection Agency employees from providing updates on social media or to reporters. His actions are in direct contradiction to the EPA scientific integrity policy, which states, “To operate an effective science and regulatory agency like the EPA, it is also essential that political or other officials not suppress or alter scientific findings.”
What will it mean to have a president undermine the free flow of information? Maybe I’m a little crazy for jumping to such conclusions.
Then again, maybe I’m not.
Alaina DiLaura is a 20-year-old international studies and mass communication sophomore from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.