Comments on: Could Google be too Powerful?

By: Tyler Pease

Tyler Pease — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:27:46 +0000

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.

By: William Nzioka

William Nzioka — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:31:01 +0000

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.

By: Otsdarva

Otsdarva — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:21:07 +0000

But there is no danger in people browsing via Google. Whats the worst that could happen?

By: Justin Block

Justin Block — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:24:05 +0000

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.

By: Kong Fu Zi

Kong Fu Zi — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:43:37 +0000

The world’s gotta be dominated by someone.

By: Ben Drucker

Ben Drucker — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:15:36 +0000

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.

By: Otsdarva

Otsdarva — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:02:03 +0000

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.