As I read through the assigned
sections of The Googlization of Everything, I felt that the entire
stigma around Google's dominance of the web to be a bit overblown. When I use
Google, I know they keep records of what I search, what I click on, and what I
look at. Personally, I see it as a very small price to pay for the services
that Google provides. I have no issue in providing that information to their
company, as long as they continue to provide quality services.
Privacy of information is trivial,
as exposing it has very little direct impact on our personal lives. That information
isn’t being used for identity theft or other malicious intent. Google may be
gathering this info, but they use it to enhance the services they provide. Ultimately,
any dissent over the information that Google is gathering on an individual is
only over the fact that they have it. The only fear is in its existence.
As for Google’s spread into all
corners of the internet, I once again, find little to be concerned about.
Obviously, Google has the proper resources to maintain their empire on the web,
and they use them appropriately. Sites like Google, Youtube, and Blogger
provide excellent quality of service, and who better to provide that service
than Google? Very few corporations have the resources and reputation needed to
maintain such a huge conglomerate, and Google does it in a way that satisfies a
huge community of customers.
Recently, Google’s dedication to
providing these services has taken another huge leap, in the establishment of
Google Fiber, Google’s ISP service. Since companies like Time Warner and
Comcast have neglected to provide proper services for accessing Google’s
content, Google has responded by providing their own service. Although it may
not be viable for distribution to a wide audience, it creates competition to
motivate existing companies to follow suit. Only Google has the power to create
such a huge statement in the industry, and if receiving the benefits comes at
the price of a few personalized ads, then I’m more than willing to give that
information.
