Google's World Domination! Possible?

[nightfox1405241487 0]

Google's a great company... I've had previous interactions with them and their staff are friendly as can be, and very informative.as much as we would like to think of it coming true, Google isn't going to take us over... if anything, they are opposite of Microsoft...Just my view on things![N]F

[yordan 10]

Does somebody remember altavista ? They were almost the only efficient and free one some years ago. And they are still present.

[plot 0]

Lol its inevitable, google was created by to nerds with the the thought to create a search engine that can index every website on the internet and since then they have succeded in making the most powerful search engine available on the net and its free! but since then they have offered so many other free things that are just amazing. there is hardly anything that google asks you to pay for which is just google eart pro and adwords, is there something else they ask money for? i dont knowbut google is awesome and they will be gaining a monopoly soon enough and they will definetly not be going any where because they are just so loved by every one, including myself i dont know how i would do without google....

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

As Bill Gates once said "In order to survive, you need people to need you, or else you'll die" (not exact quote).So, I think Google might take over the world but not as evil as Micro$oft.xboxrulz

[rip 0]

at least i trust google than microsoft hhehe but who knows mybe google is doing something we never know just hiding to there nice little front page....but i just noticed that google has already done many things

[IniX 0]

Google has always wanted to be more than a search engine. Even in the early days, its ultimate goal was extravagant: to organize the world's information.

This is bull.

Google might conquer the net, yes, but they will NEVER dominate the world.

All your base are belong to us!

[Sarah81 0]

*gasp!* You mean somebody wants to organize all the information on the Internet so that we can find it quickly and easily? And for free? *feints*Seriously though ... there are much bigger, far worse threats in the world than an Internet service that is slowly spreading to cover pretty much every possible base.

[HiddenKenshin 0]

*gasp!* You mean somebody wants to organize all the information on the Internet so that we can find it quickly and easily? And for free? *feints*
Seriously though ... there are much bigger, far worse threats in the world than an Internet service that is slowly spreading to cover pretty much every possible base.

Agreed, but the consequences could be more grave than you'd expect. Especially with societies thriving on the information sharing technology of today. This forum being an example. It depends on how google wishes to preserve the information. I don't think it could, or should, index and control every bit of information on the web, but if they would attempt to grasp control of the Internet, they'd be able to manipulate one of the strongest weapons of today, information.

[iGuest 3]

I really don't think Google is taking over the world. It's definatly Yahoo we should be worried about. Google is cool, I just don't like Yahoo for some reason, can't seem to think why.

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

I seriously don't mind Google everywhere, they've offered great service, and haven't complained once. There's even a Google version of MySpace (but with way less features).xboxrulz

[Arbitrary 0]

I do mind Google being everywhere. Competition is the driving force behind any amount of success that these companies have with their products. Without competition from other companies, Google wouldn't have any incentive to change and most likely wouldn't change as long as the money is still rolling in from their monopoly.

 

Without competition, Google could potentially turn into something similar to Microsoft with their lack of updates and slow service. As long as there are other companies still thriving and I have a choice of products, I'd be happy to see Google thriving as well. Having a choice, to me, is the most important thing. If I had one product (one essential product) of poor quality to choose from and I had to buy that product, then I end up in a dead end.

 

I agree with HiddenKenshin that societies thriving on information can cause numerous problems. Just because Google didn't share user information last time (and actually struck up a big case with the supreme court in our defense too) doesn't mean they won't do it next time. I would rather that 'next time' be prevented more than anything else. Breeches of privacy is simply not fun.

 

On the other hand, the title of this topic does sound a bit exaggerated. It seems far-fetched to say that Google may 'dominate the world'. However, breaking it down, Google has a small, itty bitty chance. Google is a search engine company. Therefore it has a high chance of dominating the search industry and then the computing industry (It pretty much already has in that respect. Unless, of course, you count China, where Baidu is the obvious winner in search. Heck, even I use Baidu when I search in Chinese. Habit.). As a relatively large company, it's sure to have some force in politics (it currently doesn't seem to do so well, but most large companies seem to have a force in politics). And it's this force in politics that leads to said 'world domination'. Not very likely, as companies will probably fall faster than your average presidential campaign, but the chance remains.

 

EDIT: On the other hand, if Google truly wished to be immoral, they could also just use whatever information they have on their hands about users and blackmail them. Said users might just decide to listen to what Google says and shut up. But seriously, that has a virtually nil chance of happening. And Google is lacking something big to back themselves up: an army. Traditional, yes, but needed. Information can only go so far.

Edited February 10, 2007 by Arbitrary (see edit history)