In this short review, I'm going to focus only on one Google's products - Google Search and put a light on some darker sides comparing Google Search with another competing search engine DuckDuckGo.
Google is a company that gave us a lot. Really. I remember the days when I as many other programmers called it "Corporation of Good" and I believe it really was.
Google is something much bigger than just a search engine. Its supportive policy gave programmers amazing tools to get this awesome feeling of power. Power to create and change the world.
Google gave us Google Maps and sheltered YouTube. And no doubt, these contributions do deserve our respect.
Finally, the Linux-based operation system Android became the most used operating system and Google Chrome became the most popular web-browser in the world. Microsoft's ugly monopoly was finally undermined.
We believed in Google, we followed Google. But where we are right now?
Yes, Google Search is really good. It's the Best! But behind the quality of the service are some side effects that better to be aware of:
- Google shows ads similar to result search. It's so similar that 55% of Google users DO NOT recognize as paid ads. This means that Google replaces relevant search results with those which are most profitable for Google.
- There are too many ads. Three-four results on the page are paid ads.
- Google uses your personal data to put you in a bubble of your own interests. Creating an illusion of objectivity narrows our perspective down and slows down the process of personal development.
- Google ignores website privacy. Even if the website owner doesn't want to expose any content for search engines, Google will come, get it, and show it on its search results and will make money off it.
- Google collects our personal information to line its pockets. Google is not only a search engine since almost every website on the Internet also uses "Google Analytics" that collects our behavior data (clicks, scrolls, taps, browsing) and uses it to understand our preferences and show us more ads.
Ok, Google makes money on my personal data, but what do I get from it? Good search? Unfortunately, it looks like that as more money Google makes, the less relevant search result we get, so less useful this service becomes. Google paradox?
DuckDuckGo and Jumping out of the bubble
I use DuckDuckGo only for the last six months and it is my second attempt to abandon Google. The reason, why I've made this choice, is not because DuckDuckGo has the best search algorithm, but because I was fed up with Google to change my everyday habits and try something new. On the opposite, my first experience of DuckDuckGo, which was approximately 2 years ago happened to be bad. But now I see significant progress that this project has made. It works! Really works!
Yes, you could feel a bit uncomfortable for the first time you use DuckDuckGo. That could be a result of your jumping out of the cozy bubble of interests created by Google. The good news is that beyond this bubble there is a wider perspective that you can explore.
You can customize your interface. For example, I've chosen a dark theme that distracts less. I enjoy it.
DuckDuckGo doesn't track you and your search history. I feel it's fair and respectful.
In DuckDuckGo you can switch advertisements off. I'm not kidding! You can completely get rid of annoying ads. It helps to concentrate more on surfing and get better search results.
The only disadvantage I could notice here is the quality of the search results. I use DuckDuckGo in 80% of my search queries. Yes, sometimes I don't find what I need or find something irrelevant. In this 20 % of cases, I go to Google. Sometimes I don't find it in Google either.
Every monopoly in the long term proves itself a bad guy. Information monopoly is not simply bad, it's dangerous. Because relying on one information source is a good ground for behind-the-stage speculations and manipulations.
Google is awesome with breathtaking history. But we definitely need new fresh paradigms, new perspectives. Using DuckDuckGo gives us some direct benefits as well as helps us to shift power balance and create new opportunities for internet growth end development.
