Google

With 3 billion WebPages in its database and the several hundred million queries that is receives each day it is no wonder that Google has become the largest search engine on the web and a force to be reckoned with.  In the Pew article on demographics I found it interesting, yet obvious, how men typically use the Internet for the experience it offers while women use it for human connection.   Google can provide both men and women with the services they desire along with many they didn’t even know that they needed or wanted. Just now I was looking at all of the different Google applications and have every intention of going back later tonight and looking more into the Google calendar, which I didn’t know I wanted until now.  Women may use more of the Google talk application, whereas men may mostly use it for search engine purposes, and both will probably use it for gmail. 

As far as privacy concerns go I think I kind of have a blind faith in Google and perhaps it is just because I use it as a search engine and no other applications, yet.  I also think that my faith was reinforced after reading the article “Google defies US over search data”.  Google says “providing the data would make users think it was willing to reveal personal information about them, as well as giving competitors access to trade secrets” whereas Microsoft and Yahoo did provide the US department of Justice with some information.   It seemed almost reassuring that a company that derives most of its revenue from advertising would be so benevolent as to not give up the information that was requested of them.  I did however feel a little bothered by the fact that Google is willing to censor itself in China, I can appreciate that in order to be more successful Google must” play by the rules”, so to speak, and censor certain things so that they can be at all successful in China, however it makes you wonder what else is being censored. And is this censorship or just something being tailor-made to fit a certain culture of group of people? An example of this would be in the Google documentary when a search was preformed for the holocaust, the search engine pulls up an article that questions if the holocaust even happened. Surely this was not on purpose, but it shows it is possible for agendas to be set by means of a search engine.  In regards to the implications of powerful companies, I think competition from other companies’ forces each company to work harder to provide the best possible product. It also allows for different perspectives and thoughts, which promotes diversity and different opinions. I realize that Microsoft declined Yahoo’s offer, but with Google being so dominant I think it would be good if Microsoft and Yahoo eventually combined to even be able to come a little bit closer to being an adequate competitor for Google.