Will the internet's democratization of information sharing follow the same trajectory as our country's democracy? I don't know, but it is clearly possible. If there are known components in search algorithms that can be manipulated, like links, then there is massive incentive for larger companies to manufacture, buy, or create those links. If search rankings are dependent on resources, we could see the internet representing the voices of a very few and very powerful companies. There are plenty of preventative mechanisms in place and I am not predicting the end of search engine reliability, if such a thing could ever be achieved, but this is an interesting dance.