Digital hunting and gathering

The concept of “digital hunting and gathering” describes the user-driven search for and acquisition of data in cyberspace. Oliver Gerstheimer emphasizes the necessity of needs-oriented solutions to support targeted knowledge acquisition. Search engines are perceived as services that often deliver unstructured and fleeting results. The “rapid stagnation” of information use without sustainable knowledge preservation is criticized. Future development requires a user-centered approach that integrates search functions with effective storage and retrieval solutions. The evolution of the search engine business model will involve differentiation into marketing and knowledge service providers to meet the dual needs of businesses and end users and shape the digital information landscape.