Six letters. Not more. Google. So simple and yet so infinitely influencing our lives nowadays. A nice fact about the name is that Google is derived from googol which is a number consisting of a 1 with one hundred 0’s. A trillion only has 12 0’s behind the 1 so you can probably imagine how large a googol is. The reason they used it, is because it symbolizes the mission of google, namely: making all the information on the world accessible for everyone.
What does Google know about you?
From my perspective they are doing a great job so far, concerning this mission. Try to think about things that google doesn’t know about you.
Of course some private information won’t be in their databases, but besides that? Google owns android, which means that they have information about 87% of the smartphone users (Source: IDC, Aug 2016). Besides, google is the most popular search engine (which you would probably use on your smartphone if you are among the 13% non android users) and Google has its own web-browser. So basically google is everywhere on the internet. And do they charge you for any of their services? Not really right? But do they really just provide their service because they want to make all the information on the earth accessible? Are they really that generous?
Well, first of all, they of course have their advertisement revenues. But besides, there is also something even more important, your information. This information is crucial for google’s existence. Based on your information they are able to provide better search results. The can make an estimate where you would be looking for by relating a search query with an older one. Google wants to provide you with the search results you want to see.
Why is this dangerous?
However, there is one big potential danger with those specified search results. They could narrow your mind. ‘All the information’ also consists of wrong information or one sided information. For example, someone who is political liberal and searching for liberal topics will thereafter be more likely served with information from a liberal perspective, because google knows that the person wants to see that. However, by providing this one-sided information stream google is polarizing the thoughts of people.
It somehow comparable with information that we receive from the news. We make perceptions based on what we see, so news media have to some extend control over our opinions. A good example is the reporting of conflict areas. Our perceptions about how life in Syria is, for example, is based on what we see at the news. But is what we see on the news are right reflection of the actual situation?
However, Google is not a news medium. Google is an information medium and people expect to find the truth. I am not sure whether google’s information provision is based on the right concepts. So to conclude, that is why I advocate that Google should put more focus on objective coverage of information, instead of just focussing on what the user wants to see.
Reference:
http://www.idc.com/prodserv/smartphone-os-market-share.jsp
Thank you for your very interesting post. The power and the responsibility of Google and companies like Facebook is a widely underestimated I believe. I immediately thought about the results of a survey which came out last week. You can find it in the link below, but it is in Dutch though. In the survey youths were asked if they trust Google and Facebook with their personal information and privacy.
This information is also used for personalizing the search results and narrowing our view. The outcome is quite interesting, since 4 out of 5 did not trust Facebook and Google. Still, most of the people (myself included) do still use Google and Facebook on a daily basis, providing them with more information. I do agree with you that Google should focus on displaying the truth instead of personalized results. However, I do think that the only way we could reach this is by stricter rules and supervision.
onehttp://jij.eenvandaag.nl/uitslagen/69830/jongeren_vertrouwen_facebook_en_google_niet
Thank you for your very interesting post. The power and the responsibility of Google and companies like Facebook is a widely underestimated I believe. I immediately thought about the results of a survey which came out last week. You can find it in the link below, but it is in Dutch though. In the survey youths were asked if they trust Google and Facebook with their personal information and privacy.
This information is also used for personalizing the search results and narrowing our view. The outcome is quite interesting, since 4 out of 5 did not trust Facebook and Google. Still, most of the people (myself included) do still use Google and Facebook on a daily basis, providing them with more information. I do agree with you that Google should focus on displaying the truth instead of personalized results. However, I do think that the only way we could reach this is by stricter rules and supervision.
http://jij.eenvandaag.nl/uitslagen/69830/jongeren_vertrouwen_facebook_en_google_niet
Hi Jochem,
Thank you for posting your blog, it is a very interesting topic and I have never looked at Google this way. Obviously, it worries me that Google is obtaining my search information and the fact that they could only show me things what they think I would like to see. Meaning that I am creating a box where my personal perspective and thoughts are confirmed, time after time, as Google keeps suggesting these things.
However, your subject raises another discussion about the ‘big players’. Thinking about Google made me realize that Facebook is basically doing the same thing. By keeping their service for free, more people will create an account, leading to gathering more information about every single user. How do you feel about that? Facebook does not care about missing out on their revenues they would have gained if they would charge all the users. Their most valuable asset is the content, the information that we voluntarily upload on the platform. We don’t even know what Facebook is doing with all this information. We are posting all the information ourselves, it’s about our personal lives, things we daily do… Think about the Facebook pages we like, the videos we like, what our friends comment and like, and so on. This means that not only Google has so much information about us, but Facebook as well. What will these big players do with all the information they have on us? How are they going to compete with our information? Will their competition be so rough that we end up being the ones becoming the victim of their war?
Hi there,
Thanks for writing this blog. I have to say, you put the information strategy of Google in a nice perspective. I haven’t thought about it this way, while I for sure have my own opinion about the privacy issues concerning information gathering on this level. Regarding the narrowing view Google tends to give due to there customized search queries, I agree with you. On the one hand, customers might find it beneficial, but it does drive them more and more into their already existing ideas and opinions. Especially in the environment we live in today, where we are focussing on refining customer demand and strive to find new customer tastes it is extremely important to search for these tastes and broadening customers ideas of what is possible in today’s world.
Regards,
Laura Hofstee
Thank you very much for your post, I strongly agree with you that it is quite dangerous for the customer that they use so much of your information for third parties. On the other hand as a customer you know that they are using your information so it is also a bit up to you whether you want to give it away, you can always use fake names/profiles etc.
Very interesting topic!
I do understand the concern regarding the reinforcement of ideas that are rooted in us. However, although something should be done regarding the bias of information channels (online, TV, press) I do not think Google is to be blamed for providing content that suits our patterns of research. Whether it be digitally or otherwise, we look for information that confirms our beliefs wherever we can obtain it.
A good way to start again with a clean slate when it comes to search results, which is one of the issues we raised, would be the opportunity to “erase” all information they hold about individual customers upon request. Although it is not likely since their whole revenue model and assets rest mainly on the aggregation of personal search information, cookies.
I think there is another public institution which should be more heavily scrutinised when it comes to bias. I am referring to the educational system as a whole as it builds the foundations of what we perceive to be true later in life. Teaching us that news is generally biased and nurturing our critical thinking would be tools that will come in handy when faced with the massive flows of information coming our way day after day.