Computing used to be a simple business. You bought a computer. This computer came with software, most likely from Microsoft or Apple. This software gave you all the basics for all the mundane tasks that fall under the umbrella of computing, including typing up an essay, printing pictures to paste on the fridge, and maybe even drawing a ridiculous image in MS Paint. Not anymore.
The Internet changed the playing field. The Internet came in as a resource tool-a simple extension of the computer. The Internet offered connections to others: a way to e-mail information to one another and a way to search information. This searching of information is what ushered in the force that would change the way this simple computing was being done.
Google. Google changed it. It was a search engine and perhaps it still is, but in addition to being a search engine, Google is a mastermind. It creates ingenious products and moves swiftly for such a large company.
Simple products such as an e-mail service provided by Google, entitled GMail, started this trend. GMail does much more than just e-mailing your friends; indeed, it is the gateway to an operating system and software replacement provided by Google.
The product I am alluding to is Google Documents, an online tool that has similar functionality to Microsoft’s Office and is even seen as a direct competitor. The difference between these two is that Google is free with no downloads required, and Microsoft Office is a program that runs from your computer. Google does not install anything on your computer to let you type up an essay, and here is where the paradigm shift is occurring. Applications and software previously found exclusively installed on your computer are now moving into a hazy online realm, where the lines between online and offline are being blurred.
Google does this with a plethora of other programs. Google Calendar. Google Maps. The list goes on, and it becomes increasingly evident that Google is much more than a search engine. It does not merely find information for the user; it seeks to control the flow of all information, whether it is e-mails, directions, or even using the Internet, as seen with Google Chrome.
Is this a problem? Microsoft obviously thinks it is. What happens when the most necessary part of a computer-its operating system-becomes obsolete? When this software is moved online and Microsoft’s main source of revenue is gone, it’s certain to cause a stir. But innovation and competition is the way a market evolves, and I for one welcome Google’s challenge to Microsoft’s dominance.
But is it a problem for us, the user? Possibly. Since Google’s inception, it has had a business model of “don’t be evil.” This is supposed to offer some comfort despite the fact that Google traffics a massive amount of information, coming and going, and has logs for most, if not all, of it.
Theoretically, if you use all of Google’s products, you’re giving it an amazing amount of information. What you search for, whom you e-mail, where you go, what you buy, and what web sites you visit. I personally find this a bit disturbing, no matter the motto.
No matter what happens in the upcoming years, Google is sure to play a part in it as more applications move from your computer to the online world. This may be a good thing for functionality, but perhaps not for privacy. Nothing on the internet is ever done with true anonymity.