In their book, Vaidhyanathan argues that “we trust Google with our personal info and preferences without access to knowledge because we trust technology that satisfies our prejudices.” Personally, I agree with Vaidhyanathan’s point about people blindly trusting Google all the time because it is the fastest, easiest, and most convenient and popular way to discover information. Today, not as many individuals use the library, databases, Bing, or Yahoo compared to Google. As a result, the response for a question a person doesn’t know will usually be “just google it” instead “find out at the library” or “check the databases.”
We share our personal information and preferences because we expect Google to use it to create relevant searches, advertisements, and events that fit our needs. For example, Google will show specific ads based on the videos we watch, clothes we buy, or articles we read. Unfortunately, sometimes the information we share will appear elsewhere. For instance, a persons personal information (such as an address or occupation) will likely emerge on other websites if their name was searched on Google. Hackers would be able to locate personal information if they wished as well.
As for myself, I trust Google, but only to an extent. I do not give Google data such as credit card information because I believe a hacker would be able to easily find it. I don’t bother with the advertisements Google creates either. However there were a few times I did find it helpful. Overall, although Google has become the most well known and convenient way of locating information, it is not the best.
