Google's Ambiguous Nobility

For all its criticisms lodged its way, Google has done one thing that can go down as being undoubtedly good – centralize self-generated content distribution.

I'm using Blogger, a Google product, to write this. Though I probably won't make a dime off of this post, there are others who have profited off of their content thanks in large part to Google. As the New York Times examined, it is viable to use YouTube, another Google product, as a way to turn a hobby into a business.

There is an ambiguous element of nobility to this. Google is a central hub and distributor for self-generated content. The content is created by users who have genuine interest in their subject and, initially, did not anticipate to make money off of it. Now that it is evident that users can make a money, the gold rush begins. This was Google's goal and it is, for the most part, a good goal to set.

However there is a drawback – censorship.

How you feel about Google's decision to buck to China's pressure on censorship is dependent on how principled you are about free speech. If you fiercely defend free speech, the decision is a disillusioning one. If you are more pragmatic, then you can understand the decision. Seven Levy's In the Plex, chronicles the pressure Google faced internally and externally before making the decision and it brings up a relevant point.

As Google continues to grow, it will be faced with several dilemmas. The Chinese censorship issue illustrated the issues a foreign company like Google has trying to provide a genuine service in a government unlike the one it is based in. The current data collection issue is an issue of trust.

Google genuinely believes they can provide as many services as possible. Centralized self-generated content distribution is one, Maps and Gmail are others. We know that in order for them to effectively do this, they will need data. However, how much data we allow them to have depends on how much faith you have in Google.

I have reasonable faith in Google. Enough so that I use Google Chrome, Gmail and an Android phone. I do acknowledge the potential issues that can arise. But for the most part Google's services have allowed for people to express themselves and get noticed – just like this guy.