"Don't be evil"
That's been Google's credo since the beginning. And why not? After all, Google is just the little Silicon Valley start up that gives people what they want in search results? They're only here to help, right?
All it means is that Google single-handedly controls 70% of all information distribution online.
...they also pioneered one of the most profitable advertising models in history (creating a whole new industry and along with it, jobs, including mine - Thanks Google!)....
...and they're making a run at all computing activities....
...the failed attempt to reinvent the way we communicate online...
...plus there's the phone system...
...and the digitalization of all possible information...
...and don't forget about the smart phone hardware and operating systems.
Which brings us to Google+, the much-discussed project that flooded our online eardrums just days ago with speculation, opinion and excitement.
"What's that? A Facebook challenger? Finally!", or as this comic so aptly puts it visually, just something else.
But Google? What makes Google a suitable replacement? Why are we so quick to accept yet another Google takeover of our online activities? Why should we allow Google to control yet another aspect of our second-life which is coming oh-so-closer to supplanting real life?
Let's not be naive about this - Google, like any good business, is looking for more ways to make money. What they've been after for some time now is the one thing they can't have - our online personas. They can't have them because someone else does (*ahem* Facebook).
But that may be changing. There is opportunity where there once was none. There is a backlash akin to a run on banks. Facebook users are concerned about privacy (and with good reason), or just plain old sick of Facebook updates running their public lives. Google isn't stupid, this opportunity means more money.
How, you ask?
The obvious answer is information. Google's holy grail is understanding every single person, not as a name or identification number or anything like that, but as an online being - a target audience of one.
Just take a look at what Google+ does. It groups people into little audiences with similar interests - heck it doesn't even hide the fact that it is most concerned about your interests and those of your friends!
Now, look at the whole picture.
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| Who controls your online persona? |
Not that online targeting is a bad thing.
There is little or no evidence pointing to the idea that Google has any nefarious intentions in mind, in fact I would venture to say Google has been pretty transparent since day one. But the question has to be asked, and the point has to be made. Perhaps we should give someone else a chance to run just this one aspect of our online existence? A little balance of power, anyone?
Google has always been on the side of the consumer.
"Don't be evil."
If Google+ catches on, how much longer can that last?
Phil Decoteau is the Founder and President of Deco Dig, an Inbound Marketing Services Company based in Connecticut. Learn more at www.deco-dig.com.
