#informationcommerce

[amcult202-blog]

Infrastructural Imperialism

“We are not Google’s customers: we are its product” (3). We are what makes Google money and what makes Google, Google. Google is nothing without its users. 

Our culture has become one that makes Google into an omnipotent, all-knowing entity that gives it “undeserved power” (4). 

Google provides seemingly infinite resources instantly and is entwined in our culture and nearly every aspect of life. 

[amcult202-blog]

Google is neither good, bad, nor neutral.

“Google is not evil, but neither is it morally good. Nor is it simply neutral-- far from it” (4). It does not make people smarter or dumber. Rather, it is a tool that can be utilized in various ways. 

[amcult202-blog]

How has Google altered society?

“Google is the dominant way we navigate the internet” (7). It holds massive biases in what it deems to be the best sources based off of its ranking system. We hold these biases to be true and accept them.

[amcult202-blog]

What are Google’s ambitions?

-Google is creating a “new account of surveillance that goes beyond the now-trite Panopticon model” (Vaidhynathan 9). Google is creating a synopticon - we are becoming digitalized and Google holds massive information about us.

-It is important to be critical of google because we need to be aware of the large role it plays in our lives.