As soon as I turn on my computer, I open up my Safari browser and my Google homepage appears. I use Google about five to seven times a day. Whether it is to start gathering information for a project, look up the name of an actor that I forgot or find a picture, I always check there first. Google works so seamlessly, that I have never even thought of using a different search engine. I believe that without Google, I would only use the Internet a fraction of the time because I would not be able to find what I was looking for. Many people have the same views I do; Google’s accessible information, easy to use technology, and convenience makes it the “world’s” first choice, above all other search engines’. Tim Wu, the author of The Master Switch, states, “Google is the Internet’s switch. In fact it’s the world’s most popular Internet switch, and as such, it might even be described as the current custodian of the Master Switch” (278). I believe that this bold statement is truthful. I find Google so compelling because of how much power they wield, which explains why it currently holds the title of the Master Switch. This label, however, is not guaranteed, since Google’s dependence on the Internet leaves it in a vulnerable position.
Google is the strongest bridge connecting information to the rest of the world. They are unwavering in delivering news to millions of people. Eric Schmidt, Google’s former CEO states, “We are specialized. We understand that infrastructure is not the same thing as content. And we do infrastructure better than anyone else”(283). It is this infrastructure that makes Google’s sturdy bridge design the current Master Switch of the Internet. Turning on the Master Switch allows instant accessibility and thus increases the number of users`. Google’s knowledge of how to integrate its infrastructure into a user-friendly interface has clearly made it, “the most popular Internet switch; as demonstrated by its market share of the search business (over 65 percent)…”(280).
Google has achieved success by sticking to their idea of specialization. Whereas major companies in the entertainment industry diversify by owning something in every part of the industry, Google does something different. They, “succeed by concentrating on one (well-chosen) thing, and doing it better than anyone else” (283). Google’s idea of separation gives them the ability to put all their time and energy into perfecting the search engine. I think their comprehensible website and guaranteed plethora of information in 0.16 seconds demonstrates that their method has helped them become so popular. I find Google so compelling because there is no other means for me to get find information so quickly especially with so many options that relate back to what I searched. An encyclopedia or asking someone if they know the answer takes too long and as a college student, I am so busy that wherever I can save time I will. Google is like my compass when navigating the Internet, all other websites (not search engines) are considered second-tier because without Google who would be able to find them on the Internet?
Google has the strongest infrastructure, compared to other search engines, because of its efficiency and power. They are responsible for how we get information and what information we have the opportunity to look at. The way in which we obtain news and information, “defines the basic tenor of our times, the ambience in which things happen, and, ultimately, the character of a society” (12). Google has specialized in this and has become the Master Switch because they demand attention. They are our passport to all the information we could ever need or want. Our dependence on Google has allowed Google to currently be called the Master Switch because, “however many good things the Internet has to offer- services, information resources, retail outlets- it hardly matters if you can’t get to them” (280). Google makes it so simple for the world to get information that we have begun to rely on Google like someone trusts and confides in a good friend. For example, “whatever shows up on the first page of a Google search is what matters in forming our sense of any reality;” the rest of the pages are more often ignored (281). Google controls how we get information and what news we look at (they can choose which websites are on the first page of our search). They dictate what we learn about and which websites we begin to trust. This may not be ideal, it may be giving too much “power”, and it certainly cries for ethical watch dogging of Google. For instance, on most searches Wikipedia comes up on the first page. Wikipedia is an open site and not entirely trustworthy, but regardless Google directs us there, so we look at it. While each one of has a choice as to what information we look at (not all of us will go to Wikipedia), we do not have a choice as to what information comes up in our search. I know personally, my life would be more difficult if Wikipedia did not come up when I searched something, as I use it for background information. Without it, I would waste time trying to get a basic understanding of a book or looking up facts of someone. While Google has a lot of power, I think that they handle it responsibly and are relatively unbiased in the information they post. Since Google does provide most of the world with information, they demand the title of the Master Switch.
However, Google can be considered vulnerable as well. Google has become the most widely used search engine, but if the Internet did not exist than neither would Google. Google relies on the Internet and more importantly, its pathways. It is this dependence that has stirred some fears that Google might one day be taken over or become obsolete because, ”he who controls the wires or airwaves can potentially destroy Google, for it is only via these means that Google reaches its customers” (284). Google can easily be usurped by any large corporation that controls the Internet. Google has become so influential because of their method of specialization, but the fact that it cannot physically be successful by itself leaves it open to attack. Tim Wu states, “you might accept my characterization that Google is simply the switch, but a switch alone has never before constituted a freestanding company” (282). Google is so powerful, but its dependence on the Internet and lack of vertical integration leaves it vulnerable. For Google to fully embody the title of the Master Switch, we will have to wait and see if it can continue to grow even though it is a freestanding company. There is hope that Google will rise even more because currently I can Google something, but I have yet to Apple anything.
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