Confessions to a Search Engine
Launching my browser I’m greeted by the words: Google. Sometimes decorated with spiders for Halloween, holly at Christmas and clovers on St. Patrick’s day, whatever fripperies adorn it, Google has ooched its way into being my preferred portal to the world wide web.
It’s difficult to imagine a time without the infamous search engine. Google is now so ubiquitous, it is has become a word synonymous with search. I don’t look for things on the web anymore, and I certainly don’t surf. No, surfing is so passé. Instead, I Google! I Google for homeopathic remedies for what ails me, I Google for quick and easy recipes, and I Google for the weather forecast before packing for my vacation. Six multi-colored letters flanked by a tiny registered trademark, have become my lexicon to the data universe.
But how has this constant companion woven itself so seamlessly into my life, and what are the consequences of our seemingly natural symbiosis? This collection of anecdotes, references and observations is an attempt to get my heard around these basic but essential questions.
The Surf was up but I wasn’t on the waves.
