The Power of Google

Critical Analysis of “Googled: The End of the World As We Know It” by Ken Auletta

The preface in Ken Auletta’s book, “Googled: The End of the World As We Know It,” offers several key points that are important to know. He defines Google and why it is both successful yet dangerous as well as what the goals are of the people who run it. The author explains who is threatened by Google and when it has gotten into trouble. He explains how it perceives itself and how it is perceived by others in society. Considering Google has towering revenue and the abstract ability to deliver a broad range of knowledge to consumers, it is crucial to be aware of why they are being scrutinized.

Google is a search engine where answers appear in mere seconds after someone types a word, phrase, or question into it (1). Google is wealthy because so much of their revenue comes from advertising. “Google’s advertising revenues—more than twenty billion dollars a year—account for 40 percent of all the advertising dollars spent online” (1). Although Google provides many benefits, such as providing education to impoverished nations that are without the books or technology (1), Auletta strongly points out that we should be considering Google’s motives. Google has the power to become twice the size of one of the three largest media conglomerates and for this reason we must recognize its power to threaten in-depth journalism or private practices, for example (2&3).

When different forms of media in the past were replaced, they were typically replaced with a tangible object, such as the automobile to the horse and buggy (3). Now, “Google search produces not a tangible product, but something abstract: knowledge (3). “Because the digital realm is made up of bits, it does not run out of supplies or have space constraints (15). Auletta is pointing out the vastness of Google and its capabilities as being dangerous because there are seemingly no limits. He notes that Google has helped advertisers by handing out personal information from consumers, such as location, gender, and preferences (8).

Google and its employees have a different view of themselves than others may have. The company thinks that transparency and purchasing more advertising is creating a better media world (9). Traditional media companies, unlike Google, did not see themselves as superior. They believed in proper relationships and professional storytellers (13). They were unaware that the world would take an easier way out when trying to gather information or search for the answer to a question, which is a main reason for Google’s capitalistic success. The process of gathering information has changed and Auletta refers to this as ‘democratization.’ “Information and entertainment were rapidly democratizing, as technology empowered consumers not just to unearth any fact from a Google search but to copy and share it” (14). It is no longer just easy to gather information, it is easy to share it without rules or required professionalism.

The author points out that Google knows how to get what they want, which is more money and engineers who can help them. The grounds and working conditions at their location are luxurious and this is because it encourages their engineers to push boundaries (18). These are the same engineers who ask dangerous questions, such as “Why can’t advertising be targeted and sold without paying fat fees to the media middelman?” Or “Why must we do things the way they’ve always been done?” (2). Google has been sued on more than one occasion which represents the debatable nature of the companies ideals. Viacom, for example, sued Google for “allegedly allowing YouTube to pirate its television programs” (22). The company thrives on data over opinion, (20) but most companies, especially media companies, do not stand behind the ‘cold’ values of Google, as opposed to the ‘warm’ opinions of society.

Ken Auletta, Googled: The Ed of the World As We Know It. New York: Viking Press, 2009. Preface and Part 1/Chapter 1.