Klaas Leussink

Whatdoestheinternetthink.net is an experimental online tool that offers a broad, search-based impression of how the internet portrays a chosen subject. Users can search for topics such as public figures, major events, or social issues, and view the results grouped into positive, negative, and indifferent categories. The site converts the number of search-engine results for quoted English sentences about a topic into percentages, then presents a conclusion and related statistics. Users can also compare subjects and, through a beta Twitter service, request a regular search by tweeting a topic to the site’s account.

Launched in 2009, the project describes its analysis as basic and emphasizes that results are not reliable measures of public opinion. They reflect search-engine results and can vary as opinions and indexing change; searches may also be unavailable when monthly API limits are reached. The site is presented as an ongoing experiment rather than an authoritative research service. It was created by hnldesign, whose concept, coding, and design are credited on the site.