REVIEWS+

The Googlization of Everything

And Why We Should Worry
by Siva Vaidhyanathan
The Googlization of Everything: And Why We Should Worry. Univ. of California. 2011. c.280p. ISBN 9780520258822. $26.95. TECH
COPY ISBN
Vaidhyanathan (Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Rise of Intellectual Property and How It Threatens Creativity) delivers another act from his well-worn (and effective) town crier squawk box, this time focusing on Google and its monopoly role in our lives today. While a plethora of voices—Jaron Lanier, Jonathan Zittrain, Evgeny Morozov, to name a few—are screaming to be heard about all that is wrong with our web-technology-immersed world today, Vaidhyanathan is less pessimistic about the future. He has numerous concerns: infrastructural imperialism, corporations like Google filling the voids that were once the domain of public services, soft technical regulation and censorship of the web, privacy trade-offs to enable functionality, and the compromises we knowingly and unknowingly make in using Google's search services exclusively.
VERDICT This book is in no way an attack on Google but more like a parent asking a child, "What do you want to do with your life?" then going through all the concerns one by one. Strongly recommended for anyone interested in the subject.
Reviewed by James A. Buczynski, Seneca Coll. of Applied Arts & Tech., Toronto , Apr 15, 2011
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?