Could Google be too Powerful?
Dec 03, 2009 
Tyler Pease 
7 Comments
As a source of conspiracy theories, Google is easily one of the larger contributors when it comes to fears of digitally-based world domination. It isn’t very difficult to see the enormity of Google’s influence and in turn where such fears might take root. Take a look at the Google search bar that you undoubtedly have already built into your browser which enables you to find millions and millions of highly relevant sources conveniently listed by popularity. Then, realize that 71.11% of all searches on the internet occur through Google and that the verb “google” was added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. And on top of that, Google’s search features are only a part of the greater Google entity which encompasses the largest source of video on the internet, YouTube, one of the largest email providers, Gmail, the largest map resource on the internet, Google Maps and more. Conspiracy theories about some sort of Google-controlled future hardly deserve much serious attention, however, that does not mean that the widening Google umbrella should not be cause for concern. A Google-controlled web is a much more realistic threat, and frankly, not so farfetched given Google’s growth.
Google’s rise to success was based on its ability to recommend to a user content that would best suit his or her needs—essentially the definition of a good search engine. This expanded to include advertisements that would present products relevant to the text on any given web page, a service with undeniable benefits for both the advertiser, who can target niche audiences, as well as the end user, who finds only the goods and services that pertain to what he or she is interested in. The influence of this system of recommendations became slightly troublesome when Google’s own properties like Google News and YouTube began to appear at the top of search lists. Content providers have always put their own interests first and Google’s duty to its shareholders is to do the same. Still, in the developing arena of internet advertising, Google’s situation cannot be compared to traditional media. Almost no one really understands how Google determines what ranks highest. And when a recommendation comes from a robot, bias is a lot less obvious than it would be had a human placed that ad, in, say, a magazine. As it tightens its grip on the internet, Google has the unique ability to feed itself repeat business through its Google search engine without the user realizing that he or she is helping to build Google’s monopoly.
Expanding is what makes Google such a powerful company. Between its specialty services (news, maps, online books, shopping, videos, etc.) and the pervasiveness of its advertising, Google has a hand in virtually every corner of the internet. The internet developed so rapidly because of low barriers to entry and ease of competition. As a search engine, one of the most vital tools on the internet, Google has little competition, especially in the U.S. The only region in which Google doesn’t hold the majority of the online search market is East Asia. Despite the benevolent image that Google has created for itself, touting slogans like “don’t be evil” and creating one of the most attractive workplaces in the world, Google’s practices have provoked similar allegations to those that have been leveled against ISPs regarding network neutrality. With a 71% market share of all online searches, Google is, in its own way, a provider of the internet—at least the parts of the internet that people actually use. By directing search results towards itself before other sites, regardless of popularity, competitors can be restricted. Google’s growth is essentially uninhibited. It has no competition.
It’s hardly fair to say that Google is seeking some sort of science-fiction-like global control. It’s even hard to fear a Google controlled internet. After all, Google offers the best products. That’s why it’s so successful. What we should be worried about is what could happen when Google no longer needs to provide the best products to maintain a monopoly over its internet markets. With no incentive to innovate, Google would represent the opposite of the principles of the internet. And based on the current influence the internet has over the economy, social interaction, and general everyday life, maybe fears of a world dominated by Google are not so unfounded.
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Bing Bing Bing Bing! Desperation has a name.
Your article has such good timing. I’m sure you’ve heard of Google Wave, an aggregator/socialisation network tool or whatever.
We’ll all be riding it in the near future.
Domination eventually comes to an end. I remember reading an article on the eventual fall of internet giants (http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/analysts-dismiss-news-corp-s-bing-gamble-2566.)
But with Wave in the forecast, i really don’t know.
You forgot to mention that Google Wave is about to totally change the way we all use the internet. Wave is an incredibly powerful tool. There’s an hour and a half vide on YouTube of a Google Wave keynote, but there’s also a condensed seven minute version of a Google Wave overview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6pgxLaDdQw
Insane stuff! Can Google monopolize the Internet? Is that even possible?! Either way, Google has proved to be one of the most innovative companies of the Information Age, and should continue to grow.
The world’s gotta be dominated by someone.
The internet is not a commodity. No company, even Google, can control the internet. Do you realize that despite Google’s staggering size, it is still only restricted to what has the word “google” in the URL bar? They can control their own domain, and they do it well, but the other 99.99% of the internet will remain largely untouched.
I disagree. Do you know how many people just type URLs or phrases into Google rather than than the URL into their address bar? GMail, YouTube, etc. They all dominate their field. Google certainly does not control the internet for the advanced user, who will always be able to find what he or she is looking for. But for the average user who is not so knowledgeable about the internet, Google essentially has control over many of their browsing habits.
But there is no danger in people browsing via Google. Whats the worst that could happen?
Well, while it is true that Google itself cannot directly control all of the internet because it doesn’t actually step in between a user and the rest of the world, it is obvious that people who are looking for information will, on average, go to the source that is the “best”. Being the “best” doesn’t necessitate having the best algorithm or the most comprehensive features. It means having the perception of “best”-hood, which Google currently possesses. The name is synonymous with searching and has expanded to email and mapping and continues to move outward. It seems that Google’s “control” of the internet is through influence in mass numbers. It is because so many people go through Google that when Google places a site at the top of a popularly searched term the top 10 or so web sites that show up will receive millions of hits and subsequently become incredibly successful. Sites on the third or even second page will not experience anywhere near as many hits because few people ever go beyond the first page to look for something “better” because, supposedly, the “best” is already at the top of the first page.
If Google were to manipulate how their searches display, which it already does through paid placements, it would effectively be guiding many people to a source of its choosing. As of yet this has been rather benign, but if Google were to decide that it wanted to post exclusively liberal blogs at the top of a web search for “Glenn Beck” it isn’t hard to see that many people would come away with the opinion that Glenn Beck was crazy.