Google is not your friend

...unless you do not care what kind of friends you have

We are living in an era where Internet has become part of our daily life and it has lots of benefits as well as drawbacks, like almost everything in life. One big drawback is a Google and other search engines. Even tho this post is more about just a search engine, I originally named this Google is not your friend since it was first in my mind. And when I think about this, I still guess that is anyway the case. Their search engine is not your friend neither probably any other of their services. Still you can keep in mind that when I write here about Google you can change it to search engine in your mind in the context of this writing.

Think about the situation in real life, outside of internet. If you would have a friend who knows answers to many questions you have and you ask from him but for some reason or another he would rather tell you first answers that he thinks that you want to hear because he knows what you generally think about things and also he would rather tell first answers that is most beneficial to him. Would you really trust this kind of dude or would you think that he is just a opportunist what is not worth trusting for?

In my point of view friends should tell me if I am living in my own skewed echo chamber, no matter the question. Friends also should normally tell me the truth or at least those things they think is true. Of course common sense can be applied here and people should have finesse to read the situation and use their discretion if the time and place is correct to tell the truth, but in general truth should be told or what they think is truth. What I mean about the discretion is that for example if I have theologically incorrect views and it can be seen in funerals, it is not probably the correct place to come and correct. That kind of things can be discussed later on better time.

Trust is hard to earn but easy to lose - except on web services

How much we trust Google when we ask questions about everything is somehow worrying. What we search tells at least partially something who we are unless we specifically make a clear decision that we search something what we would not normally need or want to search and know for. You know, if you every day search for results of last night NHL games without thinking it is a some kind of sign at least that you are quite probably interested about NHL, Ice Hockey or sports in general. Of course that kind of information is not often very secret information and therefore we do not need to be paranoid about everything, but in bigger picture if we think about trustworthiness of Google and search engines which wraps us inside our own bubble where we gradually see less and less other things this could be a problem.

If we are buried in our own echo chambers where everybody or at least almost everybody agree with our views and values we easily lost perspective of reality. Life and all of its value questions are much more complex and it has so much more nuances than what quickly meets the eye. If we are not seeing or hearing different opinions and perspectives, how we can truly grow in understanding? How we can know if our own values and perspectives are healthy and good if we do not hear other perspectives - except maybe those radical black and white kind of naive opinions from the other side what search engine might try to push us?

Another problem with Google is that it has power to manipulate or at least try to manipulate its users and they can also force whatever agenda they want if they want. What I mean by this is that if you are searching about anything what is subjective Google can give you more and more information what they want you to believe and hide all those which are against their viewpoints in your search results.

For example if you want to try to figure out what good things and what bad things are if everybody have a possibility to carry a gun in America then if you only get results about why it is awesome that you can carry a gun everywhere and you get those results only from gun makers or you only get results about how bad situation is because America have liberal gun laws and those results are paid by government who have a history how they have tried to drive tyrannical government then how you really can form your own opinion if you get only results from one side or another?

It is somehow ironical that in real life if you have a friend who shows time after time that he is not worth trusting you eventually normally stop telling them your secrets. I guess many of us already know that not all the things Google as a company is doing is good from a perspective of many people but still somehow we keep asking those questions. Why? Is that really worth it?

Even I have skepticsm against A.I., I think it is a good thing that eventually there is more and more realistic options for Google for many. Maybe that will lead better future when we can have better and more trustworthy friend than Google. To be honest, I won't hold my breath and I have no trust that future will be any better with this, but hey, maybe one annoying friend is replaced with another who is just different kind of annoying.

2023-03-02, edited 2023-03-03