Google is Socialism. And if that’s the case socialism is boring…
I’m listening to Raid the Radio by General Elektriks. You should listen to them. You would like them even though I have no clue who you are or what you like.
As I listen to this song it makes me think about subtle revolutions (subtle revolutions?). I guess that would be a slow-evolving revolution, which further makes me think of Google.
Google is releasing it’s Chrome operating system this Friday. I would be happy for this but I’m concerned. My concerns are summed up in one point with three subparts….
Google is subversive socialism. Inherent in googology is the notion that everything is free. This is a problem because Google is one of the only company’s who can actually afford to make everything free, and as a result, Google poses a genuine threat to service providers who offer similar substitutes at a premium.
Google Socialist Point # 1 – Socialism takes money (literally).
This is interesting because it appears as though only a capitalistic culture, such as ours, has actually made it possible for this to happen. Thus, it costs a lot of money to have something that closely resembles socialism. And who said money couldn’t buy happiness?
Google derives revenues from advertising. Those monies are then used to acquire smaller companies, and then the services that those companies offered become free or extremely cheap. For example, Google’s acquisition of a babybell provider is now Google Voice. In Mount View California, Google offers free wifi to residents. Yet another service that Google offers is free scholarly research.
Although there is no crystallization of a threat to telco, ISP, and westlaw/lexisnexis providers, I can assure you that the threat is real (I’m about as much as an economist as the next guy) and because Google is able to improve those services (which people are used to paying for) for free, it is incentivizing people to switch.
Although I don’t think that Google can subsidize the world, I, on the other hand do think that the Google model will eventually become too adverse for its own good. Certainly competing with your own advertisers (those silly little companies which you derive revenue from), and then beating them at their own service, seems similar to a passenger gnawing at the wings of an airplane at 30,000 feet
Google Socialist Point # 2 – Socialism has no style, but is simple.
But, if Google is socialism, then socialism is bland and I mean bland like corduroy. Even Google’s icon is nothing more than a bleak pantone and this bleakness seems to bleed into every service that they offer. People like to see intense GUI’s (Graphical User Interfaces). When a free operating system (chrome), or email (gmail), or voice mail (google voice), etc… has no attractive user interface, people will probably be reluctant to take advantage of these services. Although the service and technology is there (and working), people like buttons that pop, crisp graphics, and fluid screens. But, in Google’s defense, it could be that these things are sacrificed in the name of two things- Simplicity and Functionality.
This leads me to my next point. People are dumb, and Google is simple. Or at least that is what one would think from using its services and that is why Google is a success. Certainly any design (or lack thereof) that Google uses (or doesn’t use) would tend to distract people from fully understanding how Google’s services work and operate. Though it is possible that people are greedy, and they want as much as they can get for free, maybe these beggars really are choosers. Fluid interfaces would make people believe that they are getting more for their (non)money.
Even Android, Google’s mobile OS is boring. And that sucks because people now have boring phones in a time when our expectations for the functionality and design of mobile phones is putting the most in the least.
Google Socialist Point # 3 – Inform and Connect (The People).
Another socialist coincidence is that Google seeks to connect people. I mean, really connect people. In fact, if they aren’t providing a large technological black hole to unlimited amounts of information, they are only connecting people. This too is strange because it seems like in order to have socialism, people need to have free access to information. Google not only does this, but it provides access to unlimited amounts of information from almost anywhere.
This causes people to become less self reliant, and more dependent upon Google. This is dangerous.
Well, we’re tired of hearing the same old song and while Google is like a new music, its boring. But, for now, it’s something that I can dance to.
