Internet Monsters Google and Facebook

Earlier this evening, I watched a video on Youtube about Google and Facebook. It was based on their complex algorithms and the selections they feed us. A form of censorship was the issue that was raised and I agreed whole-heartedly with the conclusion.

Preview the video:

Surfers, internet users, should be left to deal with the hassle of filtering their own information. Neither Google nor Facebook should attempt to do that for us. We miss information that we need to see.  We miss information that we might have wanted to see. But based on some robotic scheme, it's being censored out for us.

It's just that before you start to feel ill of Google or Facebook like they are some kind of monsters, just do a little thinking about the subject again.  Remember the old saying, "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it?"  Well, it's what you've been asking for since day one and all they were trying to do was give it to you.

The internet was the information superhighway compared to newspapers and magazines.  There was never going to be a day when a researcher was going to be able to pour through all the newspapers and magazines throughout the world, narrow down just the pertinent information and then filter it by preference without the help of infinite information compilation and a very quick spider to index it all.  Thank you Google!

Then, of course we invited Google into our homes. We wanted to know who was viewing our information. Then, we wanted to know where they were coming from, where they were going when they left, how long they stayed, which pages they visited…etc.  So, Google gave us analytics.  Thanks Google!

We placed greater and greater demands on a growing conglomerate that before long, it was doing everything for us as long as we were feeding it. But, Ms. Jones down the street doesn't want the same information that Mr. Jimmy does on the other side of town. Not even if they do the same exact search, they don't want the same exact results.  Once again, it's Google to the rescue.  Thanks a bunch Google!  You're really swell!

Then along comes a social media platform that gobbles up all the rest and spits them out before lunch. People Like Facebook!  In fact, they love it! They love it so much they like to like it.  They like to like everything that walks, makes a noise, makes them laugh, makes them think, but not too much, Facebook is supposed to do that.  Thanks Facebook!

Everything we like is being recorded so that Facebook can offer us more things we like. So, we keep liking things. It's a simple little click that gives us all the power in the world.  Good things come!  Bad things go away!  Thanks Facebook!  I like liking you.

What did we expect them to do?  If a name brand cereal came out with something that gave us an awful taste in our mouths, would we keep buying it? Would they keep making it and marketing it to us? Everything we buy is presented to us based on our personal preference.  If you don't believe that, then you don't know how long you've been watched.

So, they've been watching every move I make and catering to their view of my wishes. I don't see that as evil. It had good intentions.  But, I don't want filtered from the bad things of this world. I want to be educated about people who are not like me, or who do not like me.

I want to know when a girl wins a spelling bee and when a boy gets stung by a bee.  I want to know about the next Tsunami and I also want to know about the tourist attractions there. I want the scores from the football game and I want to know about the war in Afghanistan.

Don't try to figure me out!  I haven't done that yet and I'm way ahead of you.