[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-82278-en":3,"doc-seo-82278-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":91},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},82278,13056703019662,"Evangeline","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/be000253a8e92610077?_k=1778726343310543188",8,"Research & Report","Beyond Topicality: Societal Relevance and Its Application to Search Results and AI Responses","This paper analyzes “societal relevance,” a concept proposed by Haider and Sundin to extend traditional relevance models in web search. While topical and user relevance underpin information science, they do not sufficiently address harmful outcomes on the uncontrolled web, such as misinformation or discriminatory content. The study addresses three questions: defining societal relevance, applying it in search systems, and distinguishing it from information quality measures. It supports value-driven search that prioritizes ethical societal interests over keyword matching.","Beyond Topicality: A Conceptual Analysis of Societal Relevance and Its Application to Search Results and  \nAI Responses  \nLewandowski, Dirk Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany |  \n[dirk.lewandowski@haw-hamburg.de](dirk.lewandowski@haw-hamburg.de)  \nABSTRACT  \nThis paper examines \"societal relevance,\" a concept introduced by Haider and Sundin to address the limitations of traditional relevance models in web search. While topical and user relevance are foundational to information science, they are insufficient for managing harmful content such as misinformation or discrimination found on the uncontrolled web. This study investigates three analytical questions: the definition of societal relevance, its practical application in search systems, and its distinction from information quality measures. By analyzing various combinations of system, user, and societal relevance, the paper explores how search outputs can be optimized for the\"greater good\". Although the concept remains theoretically underdeveloped, it provides a vital framework for developing value-driven search engines that prioritize ethical outcomes and societal interests over mere keyword matching.  \nKEYWORDS  \nRelevance, societal relevance, search engines  \nINTRODUCTION  \nRelevance is one of the fundamental concepts in information science, and there is a long history of research defining and measuring it (e.g., Buckland, 2017; Saracevic, 2016b, 2016a; White, 2010) . Different types of relevance have been proposed, with the basis being topical and user relevance. However, as search systems moved from controlled collections to content from the open web, it became clear that even when a document is of topical and user relevance, it could still be harmful. Consider a document that provides misinformation about a health condition and recommends a harmful treatment. This document can be on topic and considered relevant by a user because it seems convincing. However, when we consider the greater good of society, this document is harmful and, therefore, not societally relevant in the context of this information search.  \nThe motivation for this paper is to elaborate on the concept of societal relevance, as introduced by Jutta Haider and Olof Sundin in their 2019 book “Invisible Search and Online Search Engines”(Haider & Sundin, 2019) . This concept provides a basis for a fresh discussion of what search engines and other information retrieval (IR) systems that collect documents from the open web should display. Thereby, the concept offers a way to theoretically address how to move on from showing what (often considered inappropriate) results search engines do display to what they should display.  \nThis paper seeks to answer three analytical questions:  \n1. What is societal relevance, and how is it defined?  \n2. What would it mean if societal relevance were applied in search systems?  \n3. When is societal relevance really a form of relevance, and when can the problems raised in the discussion of societal relevance be solved by information quality measures?  \nHAIDER AND SUNDIN’S INTRODUCTION OF SOCIETAL RELEVANCE  \nIn short, the idea proposed by Haider and Sundin (2019) is that the classic distinction between topical relevance and user relevance, while useful in classic information retrieval settings where controlled collections are used, is not sufficient when it comes to search systems such as web search engines, which build their collections from data collected from external sources, which are not under their control. Due to the unavoidable danger of collecting documents that a society would not wish a search system to display in certain contexts, we would need a further layer of relevance, namely societal relevance, to control for cases where topical and user relevance clash with the interests of society.  \nIt is important to note here that Haider and Sundin do not argue for excluding problematic content from search engine databases in the first place, but rather ","cbCaiqPjMQ8nfyeJ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqPjMQ8nfyeJ","pdf",222900,2,1,7,"English","en",105,"# Introduction\n# Haider and Sundin’s Introduction of Societal Relevance\n## Topical relevance\n## User relevance\n## The need for societal relevance\n# Research Questions and Conceptual Framing","[{\"question\":\"What problem does “societal relevance” address in web search?\",\"answer\":\"Topical and user relevance can still yield harmful results on the open web, including misinformation or discrimination, even when the content seems convincing to individual users. Societal relevance adds an additional layer to account for broader societal interests.\"},{\"question\":\"How do Haider and Sundin position societal relevance relative to topical and user relevance?\",\"answer\":\"They argue that the classic split between topical relevance and user relevance is insufficient for web search engines that collect from sources outside their control. Societal relevance becomes necessary when topical and user judgments conflict with what society would consider appropriate.\"},{\"question\":\"How is societal relevance distinguished from information quality measures?\",\"answer\":\"The paper frames societal relevance as a form of relevance concerned with whether results should be displayed for societal “greater good,” rather than solely whether information is of high quality. It also investigates when quality measures can solve problems raised by the societal relevance discussion.\"}]",1784179350,18,{"code":4,"msg":31,"data":32},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":33,"title":13,"keywords":34,"description":14,"schema_data":35,"social_meta":86,"head_meta":88,"extra_data":90,"updated_unix":28},"beyond-topicality-societal-relevance-and-its-application-to-search-results-and-ai-responses","",{"@graph":36,"@context":85},[37,53,68],{"@type":38,"itemListElement":39},"BreadcrumbList",[40,44,47,50],{"item":41,"name":42,"@type":43,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":45,"name":46,"@type":43,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",{"item":48,"name":12,"@type":43,"position":49},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":43,"position":52},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/beyond-topicality-societal-relevance-and-its-application-to-search-results-and-ai-responses/82278/",4,{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":54,"author":55,"headline":13,"publisher":57,"fileFormat":60,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":61,"datePublished":62,"encodingFormat":60,"isAccessibleForFree":63,"interactionStatistic":64},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":56},"Person",{"url":41,"name":58,"@type":59},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-22","2026-07-16",true,{"@type":65,"interactionType":66,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":67},"ViewAction",{"@type":69,"mainEntity":70},"FAQPage",[71,77,81],{"name":72,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":74},"What problem does “societal relevance” address in web search?","Question",{"text":75,"@type":76},"Topical and user relevance can still yield harmful results on the open web, including misinformation or discrimination, even when the content seems convincing to individual users. Societal relevance adds an additional layer to account for broader societal interests.","Answer",{"name":78,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":79},"How do Haider and Sundin position societal relevance relative to topical and user relevance?",{"text":80,"@type":76},"They argue that the classic split between topical relevance and user relevance is insufficient for web search engines that collect from sources outside their control. Societal relevance becomes necessary when topical and user judgments conflict with what society would consider appropriate.",{"name":82,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":83},"How is societal relevance distinguished from information quality measures?",{"text":84,"@type":76},"The paper frames societal relevance as a form of relevance concerned with whether results should be displayed for societal “greater good,” rather than solely whether information is of high quality. 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