Google Taking Over the World

In my Blogging for Jobs program last week, I showed several tools by Google that are free, easy ways to make professional-looking Web sites and blogs. I obviously use Blogger, which is owned by Google, and can't imagine what life would be like without my easy Google search box in my Internet Explorer toolbar. I use Google to search the Internet, look for pictures, and check spelling. When I need government information, I go straight to Google U.S. Government. I am also a big evalgelist for iGoogle, which I use as my home page, and Google Maps lets you tweak your travel route when you ask for driving directions. I love Google.

I can't begin to discuss all of the Google applications I don't use, and they're supposedly getting into the mobile communications business. It is supposedly dominating online advertising and becoming one of the biggest companies on the global market. They supposedly scan your G-mail account and track your cookies to gather personal information, supposedly to offer you relevant advertisements. There are reports that Google is supporting genetic research... I haven't confirmed this in any other source. One person has launched a Web site called Google Watch to try and curb Google's world influence. This prompted another Web site called Google Watch Watch, which didn't think the claims were fair.

As I'm digging into what is possible online and what technologies are available to small libraries like ours, Google's name keeps coming back up and I have to wonder if Google is taking over the world. They have a huge campus out West filled with electric cars and very progressive employement practices. I did a Google search for "Google taking over the world" (no quotation marks used in the actual search) and I get nearly 32 million results... all of the top ones are relevant results.

Does this remind anyone of movies where robots take over the earth (iRobot, Terminator, Matrix, etc.)? These stories always begin by letting technology do more and more for us until one day they realize they're more powerful and its too late to fight back. Is this what Google is doing? Many people seem to think so. Should this be prevented? I don't know. I guess since they keep coming up with such innovative, FREE tools, I'll just keep taking advantage of them. And I know I am not alone. Call me an unoriginal sucker if you must.