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11 July 2011

Google+

So, I recently jumped on the latest social networking bandwagon (big surprise there) and joined Google+. If you've not heard of it, don't worry: it really is brand new, and it's still in beta testing now. You're not behind the times.


Basically, Google+ is Facebook, but not Facebook. It's definitely more integrated than other social networks, though: it picks up on contacts through GMail, and it encourages you to have a deeper interaction with select friends (in "Circles").

It's more streamlined, and has greater privacy controls than Facebook, which I like. But I've been thinking about the Google corporation lately and...

It's getting to be a bit huge, no?


Don't get me wrong. I love my Google Overlords. GMail is amazing, I adore Blogger, and Google is an active verb in my life. Right now I look at all Google offers and think it makes my life simpler and more organized and better managed.

But all this makes me wonder...when is too much, too much? At what point does social networking become an invasion of privacy? Of course there are a lot of different ways to measure this, and maybe I've been reading too much dystopia lately, but I keep thinking of how easy it is to let a little more of ourselves slip online.

All of this reminds me of the famous TS Eliot quote: "This is the way the world ends, this is the way the world ends, this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper."



That said, Google, G+ is pretty cool and I hope the Google Overlords don't attack me.
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10 comments:

  1. Kimberly VanderhorstJuly 9, 2011 at 7:37 PM

    Bwahahaha! That was fabulous. My very own feelings except, you know, articulate and stuff.

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  2. Tere KirklandJuly 9, 2011 at 7:43 PM

    As long as Google+ doesn't become self-aware, I think I'll check it out.

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  3. Ishta MercurioJuly 9, 2011 at 7:50 PM

    I'd rather do Google+ than Facebook, but I'm not that thrilled about either. All the stuff about the world ending and such.

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  4. Mel ChesleyJuly 9, 2011 at 10:09 PM

    I read about Google+ somewhere else and signed up to keep posted when it is done being beta tested. I think they're waiting to see what kind of a hit it will be first. I like the safety issues more than anything and would be willing to drop FaceBook if I didn't have so many dang connections on there as well.
    People just don't like change... oh well. :D

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  5. Riv ReJuly 9, 2011 at 11:56 PM

    First off, xkcd=awesome.
    Second, Google is definitely becoming an overlord. Around a week ago, I got an idea for a dystopian, a genre that I vowed never to write. (Not that I don't love them, I do, but I'm getting a bit sick of them, and by the time I write one they'll be old news.) It's basically about Google taking over. (Apple becomes the good guys.) (My problem is I'm an HP through and through and this would mostly be written on a Chromebook...)

    Enjoy Faceb-*ahem* Google+!

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  6. Cami CheckettsJuly 10, 2011 at 1:59 AM

    I've just started receiving invites for Google+. Thanks for letting me know what it is!

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  7. Jemi FraserJuly 10, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    I've been wondering what it was. I STILL don't have a FB account, so I'm pretty sure I'll pass on this for now too! :)

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  8. Heather AnastasiuJuly 10, 2011 at 10:07 PM

    Lol, yes! SkyNet!!! Terminator was the example of thought-provoking sci-fi at its best, didn't every kid in the 90's see the rise of the internet and think, omg, SkyNet is REALZZZ!!!

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  9. Mary E CampbellJuly 11, 2011 at 10:44 AM

    I've heard of Google+ and the circles and they sound cool, but I'm not jumping on the wagon just yet. It does feel a little like Google is taking over the world. Awesome cartoon.

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  10. Peggy EddlemanJuly 12, 2011 at 5:18 PM

    Hahaha! LOVE it! And I love my google overlords. WAY better than Microsoft overlords.

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