Since it’s official inception in 1997, Google has continued to move more towards “the perfect search,” as John Battelle puts it in his book “The Search.” While the definition of a perfect search has evolved as much as the index of Web pages it pulls from, Google has managed to “de-computerize” the search engine, making accessible every aspect of human culture and interest. It has personalized the internet, something that was once thought of as an infinite black space in the sky. It has made nearly every facet of our lives search-able, at the touch of our fingertips, results delivered in seconds.
Many- Battelle included- hail Google as a revolutionary that has changed the way we do business forever. However, there are equally as many that are wary of the infinite knowledge Google has gained about, well, us. Is Google a revolutionary, or has it gained the knowledge, power and financial resources to equivocate a user- created Big Brother?
I agree with Battelle and the argument at the core of his book. Google has indeed transformed our culture- for the better. It has found a way to know what people want and deliver. It has organized the information of the world and made it accessible at the same time. As our culture is increasingly inundated with too much information, Google manages to computerize the world we live in and organize it for us.
Let’s look at Google and the evolution of its services on a very basic level. Primarily, Google serves as a search engine. It leveraged its “query/results” technology and its large user base into a profitable e-marketplace through Google AdWords. Businesses pay Google so their service or product appears when a user searches certain key words. From there, Google figured that maybe their users would need a way to find these businesses and places they are learning about through their search, so they gave us Google Maps. Perhaps customers wanted a more detailed maps experience, so Google Street View was developed, allowing users to take virtual “walks” throughout the country. For those of you who want a more global experience, check out Google Earth, which allows you to view virtually anywhere on the planet, and more recently, the solar system, through detailed satellite images. And just in case you feel the need to share all this great information you are getting with your friends, set up a Gmail account- free email and virtually unlimited storage that can be linked to your mobile device and includes a chat feature.
It would be easy to continue on about the many features of Google, but that would be more than I’m willing to write or you’re willing to read. It’s obvious that Google continues to evolve with its users. It is moving closer towards the “perfect search,” and in doing-so, has transformed our culture and paved the way into the digital future.
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