"No problem, the brain-chip implant will fix all the escalating problems of these times." But the realist gets real by first going inside themselves and asking the existential question: Where were we before we were born into this World dimension? Why are we here? And where to we go next? OCM Sto:lo Coast Salish positive good energy.

It takes more time to search an old physical set of encyclopedia than the internet. You're right about Google; many agree it's broken now. Times change. It's time to update your search skills. For one thing, every old encyclopedia has a modern website, so just save the bookmark in your browser and skip Google. Or search Wikipedia. Various AI sources (e.g. ChatGPT) can answer most of your queries increasingly well and provide sources (which you can check after for reliability). And don't discount opinions/conversations like on specific sub-Reddits or YouTube for finding valuable information about specific interests. So-called experts (e.g. film critics) are often too corrupted by their industries to trust their output, whereas gems of insight can be often be found among the common rabble.

Every site that frustrates me, blocks things with cookies, has gone bankrupt or has regressed is a site that I stop going to. Slowly, page by page, my internet reliance and usage is going down. Back to the pre 2008 days when my usage of the internet was more moderate.

duckduckgo.com
preserves your privacy for the most part and I find pretty much everything I'm looking for.

The worst is when you ask Google a question and the AI large font "answer" that pops up in an attempt to save you a click is completely wrong.

I think the commenter @scholar above has made some good points with regard to gathering and integrating different types of information and opinions to formulate an understanding of a topic.

Duck Duck Go

What scholar wrote was informative but the first sentence is slightly off. You can find encyclopedias at libraries. Public libraries or university libraries.

Who uses google? Use DuckDuckGo, or simply do a search for alternatives to google. There must be 20 or so alternatives.

I know all about libraries and that there are snippets of wisdom among the millions of bits of garbage. The point is that when information is required quickly as is the expectation of the modern world, neither of those options are really viable. I can only imagine the reaction to me telling a client waiting for information that I’m going to pop down to the library to research it. I’m just lamenting the fact that it was once a fairly reliable and fast source of information, but it’s become more of a source of frustration over the past few years.

Never liked Google and agree with the OP that it's gone downhill in the last couple years. You'll find way more wisdom in graffiti on the walls of a soiled bathroom in a fast food restaurant or some seedy dive bar in the bad parts of town.