Google-Company of the 21st Century?

Web searching in our technology driven society is one of the most important “tools” one can use on the web. If someone from the past were to ask, “Where do I start on the world wide web?” I would answer simply, “Google.” No other website has had more of an impact on the way society uses the Internet other than Google. With the word “googling” becoming a verb nowadays, it’s influence on society is undeniable. From news aggregating to Gmail, you would have to be living under a rock to not know what impact Google has had.
Some of the privacy concerns surrounding Google is how powerful the search engine actually is. If one were to type in their full name, they would be stunned to see how easily your name comes up (for some of us). Employers are now typing in the names of potential employers to find out more information about them. Another privacy concern is from the use of Gmail. With Google being able to actually monitor your emails if they are on the Gmail server is quite intrusive in my opinion.
Google’s primary use is searching the web, but it can do so much more. From the stunning Google Earth to Google Scholar, a wealth of information is available from Google. The implications of this are online based operating systems. EPIC 2015 chimed in on this loosely, but it was understood that being able to do spreadsheets and documents on Google could possibly change the computing enviroment for a lot of people. Powerful companies in the future will let users store media and information on the web instead of a physical hard drive.
I believe Microsoft’s recent bid on Yahoo is merely a power move in part to combat Google. Google has been the talk of the town for a while now, making Microsoft move to the back. Microsoft is putting up considerable money for a search engine that is “second place” to Google. I think this will not help the public’s view of Microsoft and could potentially harm Yahoo in the process.
The search company of the future will be for the ultimate multitasking individual. From documents to videos to retail items, a user will be able to search across multiple tiers of information, sifting through the information to find what it is they’re looking for. The interface will be like Apple’s cover flow on Leopard (patent pending). You will be able to look at what the document looks like without clicking on it. Most likely Google will be the forefront of search companies in the future. I do not see Google being knocked off it’s pedestal. It will only grow larger.