Google.com is the most popular and most visited website in the World Wide Web today for having over one billion users and search requests generated every day. Google Inc. which is a multinational public corporation that focuses in businesses such as internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies has brought to the world the Google search engine. Google Inc. has also led the development of other Google products and websites including Google Chrome, Google Talk, Android OS, Gmail, and YouTube.
The creation of Google search engine is one of today's biggest breakthroughs in technology especially in the internet. Search engines were primarily designed to collect, transmit, and manipulate data according to the needs of its users. Google's vision is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Search engines are tools that enable us to acquire information in a matter of seconds and they understand exactly what you are looking for and give you back exactly what you want.
In a book written by Steven Johnson called, The Best of Technology Writing 2009, he introduced the new generation of technology writing. In his book, he discussed articles of several writers such as Nicholas Carr, author of “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, and other writers like Dana Goodyear and Andrew Sullivan. The book talks about the different technologies that simplify the collation and transmission of messages through the use of internet. In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, the author pointed out several issues in the information age that most of us are unaware. He argued about the intolerable dependency of man to the internet as a universal medium for receiving and transmitting of information.
Presently, many people spend most of their time online—searching and surfing the endless database of the internet. I do a lot of Googling here on Gabriola, searching, finding, developing real estate on Gabriola, properties for sale, acreages, and waterfront on Gabriola properties. Google is my main tool. We can say that the internet helps us in many ways especially in researching which once required days in libraries because now, it can be done in minutes. With just a few Google searches and quick clicks on the hyperlinks, you instantly find all the information you need. The emergence of Google is the dawn of the new era in the information age and we can all agree that Google is internet and internet is Google.
The internet makes our work faster and more efficient. For students here on Gabriola, and everywhere, who do not have the time to go through an entire old aged-encyclopedia for their term papers, internet becomes the most useful. Likewise, the internet is tremendously important to those who are in the corporate world, medical field, academe, engineering, and other fields of profession since it functions as a form and tool of communication and information.
Although the advantage of having access to such an incredibly rich store of information also poses many threats to us, many people still agree that Google is making them stupid because of its effects on the way they think. Some say that they no longer think the way they used to do especially when it comes to reading literary pieces straight from the internet as compared to reading long paragraphs from a book that requires deep understanding. It seems that the internet is slowly chipping away their capacity for concentration and comprehension. Their minds are now expected to take in information the way the internet distributes it through a rapid stream of information.
In connection with this, more and more people are admitting that the use of Google in their everyday lives has altered their mental habits. Some have lost their appetite to read long articles in the internet or print. It may be true that the style of reading being promoted by the internet—a style that requires immediacy—is weakening our capacity for the kind of deep reading that emerged when an earlier technology like the printing press was made available. As observed, many people who are depending on Google for their everyday research at school or work no longer read an entire article to extract the information they need. They just swiftly browse through several paragraphs and mentally take note of the important details and carry on by clicking the next hyperlink. Online articles are now presenting a totally different structure from the ones normally found in print. They have been specifically designed in a way that our brain would easily understand the gist of what they are trying to say.
Nevertheless, the emergence of the new technology has further improved the lives of people by making things easier. For instance, companies can now communicate with their business partners in different parts of the globe through the use of email. One of the best examples of technology that has truly brought great milestones is the Google search engine which makes all the information in the world available with just one click. The expansion of technology is devoted to create future developments which include the preservation of all historical literature and making them available for generations to come. After all, internet is the only system that can survive even after a nuclear Holocaust.
For some people, relying too much in the internet may be a disadvantage; however, if they look closer, they will realize that technology is simply adapting to the changes and needs of its environment. In the same manner, they must adapt to the innovations engineered by technology, especially those which go towards the betterment. Everyone has been directly or indirectly affected by the changes in technology. It must be admitted that man, at this point, cannot function without the internet. Undeniably, life without the internet means losing the function to do everything: working, paying bills, ordering and paying for merchandise, paying taxes, communicating, entertainment, forwarding photos and videos, and many more. Truly, the technology of today has remarkably impacted our lives—just like Google which is by far—ingenious.
Carol Martin can help you find that perfect place on Gabriola. Carol is a Licensed Realtor with the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board and a Member of the Better Business Bureau “Trusted Realtor”