#vaidhyanathan

[noosphe-re]

Google puts previously unimaginable resources at our fingertips—huge libraries, archives, warehouses of government records, troves of goods, the comings and goings of whole swaths of humanity. That is what I mean by the Googlization of "everything." Googlization affects three large areas of human concern and conduct: "us" (through Google's effects on our personal information, habits, opinions, and judgments); "the world" (through the globalization of a strange kind of surveillance and what I'll call infrastructural imperialism); and "knowledge" (through its effects on the use of the great bodies of knowledge accumulated in books, online databases, and the Web).

Siva Vaidhyanathan, The Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry)

[bookbirdiee]

Nothing about this means that Google's rule is as brutal and dictatorial as Caesar's. Nor does it mean that we should plot an assassination, as killing off Google might have the same effect on the state of the Web as Julius Caesar's death had on Rome: a return to unbearable chaos and fractured alliances.

The Googlization of Everything - Siva Vaidhyanathan

[wolfftfwf11mod3]

Copyright and Writers

I posted this picture in response to the web 4.0 reading, Copyright and American Culture: Ideas, Expression and Democracy by Vaidhyanathan. In the article he talks about the different rules of copyright and how it can be violated. One of the things that he talked about that caught my attention was how years ago over in Britain they would sell American written books by greatly reduced prices and vice versa. I'm going to school to for writing and when I graduate I hope to eventually start writing and getting my own books published. If this type of copyrighting wasn't put into the constitution I would hate if I wasn't getting any money for the book that I worked so hard on. I'm sure the writers back then felt the same way, that's why I posted this picture of an angry writer.

[wolffwecf11]

A Conversation Overheard During a Dinner Party

While attending a dinner party at my parents', I was talking to one of my mom's co-workers. Keith, a 60-something registered nurse, I was talking about his 19-year-old daughter and how completely out-of-the-loop Keith felt when it came to staying in touch with her via technology. He had no urge to jump into Facebook, saying, "It's just something that isn't meant for my generation." Then he said he refuses to learn how to text. He understood of how texting makes communication faster, but he didn't want to bother with it. As he put it, "If you have something to say to me, I have the time to listen to you."

Keith was amazed how fast technology grew and became so omnipresent in the last decade. He seemed blown-away when we started talking about the vast sea of knowledge that's available to anyone thanks to the Internet.

"You can literally find anything on Google now. It's amazing, but it's also a shame." Keith said.

"What do you mean?" I asked. 

"Well, like my daughter doesn't have to really remember anything when it comes to just about anything. When she does her school work, it's just a matter of Googling a bunch of stuff. It's amazing how Google knows exactly what you're looking."

"I can understand that. I can't imagine where technology will be once Abby is 18 or 19 years old."

"I think we're quickly getting to a place where we won't have to even type any more. We'll just think, and Google will go and find it for us." Keith said with a mix of excitement and anxiety. 

And that's the moment Siva Vaidhyanathan's The Googlization of Everything (And Why We Should Worry) came into a new light for me. As I read his book, I kept wondering if everyday people - people not in academics or advertising, people who don't know and don't care about copyright laws or the oppressive nature of the Chinese government - were actually worried about Google. But here was a Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit nurse, a father of three, a man who's more concerned about retirement than PageRank, and he showed that he was a little more than weary about the size Google has grown to, and the faith we as a community has put into it.     

[wolffwecf11]

I was totally wrong, I admit it. Googlism shall save us all.

Ok. So, I was totally peeved off at Vaidhyanathan for his accusations and metaphorical references to people "believing" in Google. It's almost as bad those "beliebers." 

But I've found convincing evidence that made me instantly retract my previous anger. 

It's called Googlism. 

Here are some points that the website makes on one of the pages to prove Google is God:  1. Google is the closest thing to an Omniscient (all-knowing) entity in existence, which can be scientifically verified. 2. Google is everywhere at once (Omnipresent). 3. Google answers prayers. 4. Google is potentially immortal. 5. Google is infinite. 6. Google remembers all. 7. Google can "do no evil" (Omnibenevolent). 8. According to Google trends, the term "Google" is searched for more than the terms "God", "Jesus", "Allah", "Buddha", "Christianity", "Islam", "Buddhism" and "Judaism" combined. 

God is thought to be an entity in which we mortals can turn to when in a time of need. Google clearly fulfils this to a much larger degree than traditional "gods".

 That's lifted right from the website, so you can go click and enlighten yourself after you finish reading this. Oh, and Google is God and is a SHE.

How did I find this? I put into the Google search, "Great, now Google nows I'm depressed." Seems like depressed people need religion. Is Google trying to convert me to its own religion? Is this a Jehova Witness approach on the internet to religious advertising?