Occasionally I visit different sites looking for things that I can talk about on my blog. Part of it is research, part of it is searching for things to talk about. One of the sites that I go to is Quora, and I stumbled upon a question that struck me as interesting, so here we are. The question was an interesting one;
“Is Google being to Hegemonic in the web browser world bad for Internet technology?”
On face value, the answer could be that yes, having a single company at the wheel of internet technology could be considered a bad thing. Here’s the catch, they are not the only company. Yes they have a massive infrastructure and yes they LOOK like they are taking over, but there are a few things that you need to remember.
1) It’s providing a framework for innovation – Rather than causing restraint, I would say that Google is offering a structure for Internet-based companies to do better work, Certainly when we are talking about Chrome Extensions that you can add on to your browser which enhance your internet browsing experience.
2) There are other browsers – Google gets quite a bit of press, for sure. The reason for this, in my opinion, is because Google has become the gold standard of internet browsers. They have created an empire out of a simple search engine. The thing that you have to remember is that there are at least three other internet browser programs that I am aware of. For sure they are all viable options for searching the internet. Google seems to be the most influential one because it’s the one that’s been operating the longest.
3) Google can’t control the fate of the internet – While it’s true that there are algorithms that Google uses and Search Engine Optimization that most content builders (like myself) need to follow in order to be higher up on a Google search, this does not mean that this one thing will define what happens on the internet. The field is much more vast than that. Business, social media and society, in general, will define innovation, and the internet will provide the forum for that innovation to occur.
I know that Google has become the gold standard for search engines and for those of us who create content, we are always on the watch for the things that Google requires of us to boost our posts, products and whatnot. The thing is, Google can’t stifle innovation, Google can only really bring it to you. Saying the Google is going to suppress innovation is like saying the marketplace will bring down business. Farmers have to bring their crops to market, so to do internet businesses and content creators have to bring their content to Google. At one point or another the internet marketplace will change, and then Google will lose its influence. The central place to sell products online used to be e-bay, now it’s Amazon. Tomorrow who knows where it will be.
Where do you think the next innovation will be?
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