Google Not Working

What a dreadful thought to log in one day and find Google not working anymore. Unless you've had a reason to think about it, that idea has probably never crossed your mind. It is certain that the search engine has created an environment in which online commerce is thriving, inspiring the development of millions of new websites and online businesses, both of which are very good things.

It's astounding to think that a little over decade since its inception, the world now runs on and revolves around Google. Between its role as search engine, owner of YouTube and supplier of numerous free apps, Google problems have had an impact on nearly everyone alive today. (See Google Down page, for more.)

The Least of Our Worries

One free apps that Google provides is known as Gmail (short for Google mail). It is the email provider for millions of businesses and individuals worldwide. If you are a Gmail user, you may have attempted to log in once or twice only to find Google not working. Those who depend upon the free application may find outages to be problematic and annoyingly inconvenient.

To be fair, though, expecting 100% perfection from any service, particularly one that is free, is unrealistic. Aside from Google or Gmail, nobody anywhere has ever led a problem-free existence and everyone has experienced at least one breakdown, power failure or system outage in their life. Such is the modern world. Despite occasional glitches and service interruptions, most work successfully around these issues when they occur.

Application-wise, the likelihood of a case of Google not working leading to global problems is slim. The fact is, Google provides a lot of computing power for people, much of it for absolute free, so headaches caused by the occasional glitch aren't irreparable and won't attract a lot of attention from the media or disgruntled users.

Disconcertingly, though, the inconspicuous issues for which Google has been criticized far-reaching potential consequences. These issues range from bias in enforcing quality guidelines, to privacy and copyright violations as well as criticism for secretive practices and lack of transparency. With a talent for sidestepping contention, its ability to override opposition has begun to raise questions. The questions come in large part, due to its recent misuse of Google Power.

The Big Problem

Google has always enjoyed tremendous user popularity. Therefore most criticisms have gone unnoticed by users. However, the latest reaction to Google's attitude was user dissatisfaction as a result of a recent algorithm shift. In this case, despite many upstanding webmasters being falsely targeted as low-quality spam sites, Google refused to implement human-driven fixes to rectify errors and damage caused by their algorithm. They've also dishonestly claimed that human intervention isn't possible. Under fire, their lack of transparency has belied conflicting statements.

In the case of the Site Build It Scam campaign, Google has been callously indifferent to the obvious and explicit abuse of its Page Rank technology and blatant disregard for quality guidelines. Recently, Google's cold-hearted detachment and unfair bias does not epitomize the trustworthy picture Google has been painting. And its cold indifference allows black hat search engine optimization to proliferate online.

Detachment, uncaring bias, surreptitious Google privacy issues and lack of transparency are the aspects of Google not working that could cause considerable problems, not only for Google, but for its users as well. Are these aspects intolerable enough to prompt users to seek Google alternatives? They are indeed indicative of corporate detachment, but they are also the soil in which seeds of deception and subversion thrive.

What We Should Know and Why

While it is unquestionably a brilliant innovator of technology, challenging and reshaping everything we do, the question is, is it really pursuing the aims we've been led to believe? Or is it another monopolistic giant, in whom our trust is misplaced? Are we begining to see that Google is evil, or no less evil than any other corporate monstrosity? A look at social responsibility theory and how Google is great at racking up public relations brownie points, yet regards user safety concerns as trivial, reveals that Google is more interested in profits than the public. It's no wonder more and more people are logging in to Google watch, keepng an eye on the search engine giant.

These are important questions to ask because Google is reshaping our world before our eyes. Users are aiding it in its goals without being fully aware of their roles. The vindictive and greedy are using the algorithm to defame others as cyber bullies terrorize more than children (also see the What is Cyber Bullying page for more information). As we unwittingly supply Google with data with which it transforms our culture, it would be nice to have a say in the outcome. Therefore it behooves everyone to know about Google not working and Google's vested interest. Others are finding out about Google's reputation is begining to crumble.