The Power of Google. Have you ever considered where power is held. Power, not in the form of Electricity or gas, but in influence and control.
In the past, I would have considered that our Government had power. After all, they control budgets, public services, defence, health, and schools. In todays world, I do not consider this to be the true powerhouse any more.
Gobal
The world that we live in today is truly global. Rightly or wrongly, some of the true powerhouses are now business organisations. Power is derived more from the control of information than how much money is in the bank.
Consider the likes of IBM, Microsoft and Apple. All these companies either store and use your data or provide the systems to do so. They are private organisations with so much data and power. There are so many more.
Of all the companies today, I believe there is just one that is all encompassing. That organisation is probably the one that brought you to this page; Google.
On the face of it, Google looks simple. However, the power and control behind that simplicity is truly frightening.
What leads me to suggest this fear? Whilst Google does not directly store the information that you want, it does hold the keys to the filing cabinet.
Think about it. Recent statistics suggest that Google has 90% of the global market share for internet searches. Assuming that statistic is true, then Google truly has power.
It has power because it makes decisions on what you see and what you don’t! If Google decides it does not want to tell you about a website, it is unlikely you will ever find it. The ramifications of that power are truly immense.
Comfort
I am unsure that I can say that I am comfortable with just one organisation having so much control. It is likely that if this size was the result of 2 companies merging in the UK, it would not be considered in our best interest. The merger would likely be blocked. So why do we accept it?
I guess we accept it because it is easy. One place that we can go for any information. It has been added to the Oxford English dictionary. The English language embraces Google.
I hope my concern is unfounded. Perhaps the algorithms that Google uses are perfectly acceptable. However, the potential for control exists.
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