OUR IDENTITIES FOR GOOGLE... A FAIR TRADE?

In our tech-centric world filled with countless services and websites we use nearly everyday there are a few giant companies that seem to dominate our online world, the largest, Google.  On its website google has over 200 products listed that it provides online, however this list is said to not mention all of the sub companies and services that make up the tech giant that is Google.

As I type this blog I am using Blogger, a Google product which I am signed into using a Gmail account.  Later I will check my Google Classroom to see if I have any assignments to catch up on.  And if I need a homework break I can go onto Youtube and watch a video that Google knows I will want to see.  I could go on extensively about how much I use google products.  Google has integrated itself into so many different parts of our lives and in light of this we must not forget that the same people who are making the cars we will drive, or rather google's computers will drive, in the future are also lurking around in every search and online action we take part in.  In such a time it would seem as though Google knows more about us than certain family members and friends do as they are slowly beginning to dominating nearly all aspects of our lives.

With new physical services such as Google Home a speaker that you can talk to in your home that also listens to you, as well as the development of new cars, cellphones, computers and many other items it is hard not to realize that Google is on a quest to be there tackling all of life's challenges by your side.

When features such as unlimited photo storage and other free services like Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets we need to be aware that as consumers nothing is truly free.  In this case the price we pay for all of the free services that Google is offering is scarily ourselves.  Google collects information on our location, what we like to buy online, where we travel, what entertains us, our hobbies, and what websites we visit.  They sell this valuable data and use it to provide advertisements to us.  After looking up a certain product you may have expressed interest in do not be surprised to find ads on the side of your screen showing the exact product you looked at and ones similar to it.  These ads are specifically tailored to you enticing you to a product because companies are able to tell who they should target thanks to data collected by Google.

While technology and companies like Google are offering us great, and often free services, we must also remember that we are continuously making ourselves vulnerable though giving away information about ourselves. We must determine whether all of the services we indulge in are worth the price of exposing ourselves to the highest bidders.