What We Ask Google by Simon Rogers review – the secrets of our search history

A new book by a former Google data editor uses two decades of anonymized search queries to argue for a hopeful view of humanity, revealing demographic shifts and regional curiosities in what people ask online [1]. Simon Rogers, who joined Google in 2006 [1], compiled the data from Google Trends, which analyzes common queries dating back to 2004 [1]. He organizes the findings in themed chapters, arguing that the act of searching itself is meaningful. "If you care enough to search for something, that has to mean something, even if that care only lasts as long as it takes to say the query," Rogers writes [1]. The book highlights unexpected patterns, such as why Austrians, Nigerians, and Canadians are most likely to ask about nighttime back pain [1]. It also captures a demographic shift: in early 2023, search interest in 'take care of parents' overtook 'take care of kids' [1]. The analysis provides context for these quirks, suggesting they reflect the pressures on the 'sandwich generation' [1]. The work arrives amid significant changes in how information is accessed, including the rise of generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT, which accelerated a public AI boom after its 2022 release [2]. Rogers's perspective is described as a 'rose-tinted view' that largely avoids the role of big tech in shaping anxieties or the political dimensions of search [1]. The book also does not address longstanding public concerns about data collection by technology firms. For instance, the PRISM surveillance program, revealed in 2013, involved the U.S. National Security Agency collecting internet communications from companies like Google under court orders [4]. That program was reported to account for 91% of the NSA's internet traffic acquired under a specific legal authority [4]. Ultimately, the review concludes the book is a 'diverting if selective window on collective curiosity' but struggles to deliver deeper meaning, overlooking how AI and platform economics now fundamentally alter search behavior and information ecosystems [1].