While I agree with several people about disliking Google becoming a monopoly and the information that it collects, I believe that it has seeped into our culture and will be around for a longtime to come. Its search engine function has hooked a generation of users and has virtually taken over the information industry and has deeply affected older traditional media. I believe that the company has positioned itself well for the long haul. As the digital media revolution continues to change our reading and viewing habits, more and more people will turn to the Web to view movies, television and read stories, books etc., and that's precisely where Google has positioned themselves. There will be competition, but Google continues to find creative ways to put themselves at the front or near the front of the pack in most every area.
As The New Yorker article mentioned, YouTube lost money in 2008 and is projected to do the same in 2009 (in the area of 500 million dollars) but I believe that we are just at the start of a sea change in the way we view movies, news, television, and YouTube is in a prime position to take advantage of this.
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But Google's whole thing is that they don't charge users for information; they want information to accessible and free for all. How, then, do you see Google's role in the digital media revolution?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Google did a good job at getting ahead of its time and right now they are in their sweet spot. People depend on search engines more and more. From global businesses to stay at home moms. It is a legit tool. I believe that the monopoly they have on all the different programs and sites is unnecessary though...why take the business away from people who need it more than Google? They just need to focus on the future of their search engine and make sure they don't fall asleep on that.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Google's role in the digital media revolution will likely be through YouTube, at least for the moment. A recent U2 concert was broadcast live on the channel and I think that more events like this will make their way here. It's interesting that a start up website/channel is now national and can attract viewers to watch "funny" videos but has also positioned themselves to become much more, concerts events etc. Plus, they have a bunch of money possibly from Google to back them up.
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