Does Google Own the Internet?

For the faithful [1], the answer is almost certainly a resounding “YES!”

Yet before jumping to conclusions, let me take a step back in time.

A long time ago, messages (i.e., “dialog boxes”) like this were quite widespread. I think they were seen as confusing, and gradually gave way to other question-and-answer combinations. What I wish to draw attention to here is the “Abort” option.

To answer the question “Does Google Own the Internet?” I think this is the kind of option chosen by the vast majority (whether faithful believers or concerned skeptics or whatever). By choosing “abort” the user can exit the question — apparently without committing to any answer at all.

This choice allows the question-answerer to completely sidestep the issues involved in addressing the question at all. My hunch is that this choice is chosen primarily to avoid dealing with the problems associated with a clear “YES” or “NO” answer.

Both answers come with problems.

With “YES” the problems abound with issues like “Should Google choose your next president?” (see “Google Campaigns Against Donald Trump’s Re-Election in 2020 Campaign as President of USA (vs Joe Biden)” [ https://campaign.politics.blog/2020/11/14/google-campaigns-against-donald-trumps-re-election-in-2020-campaign-as-president-of-usa-vs-joe-biden-2020 ]), or your next employer? your next customer? your next business partner or romantic partner?

With “NO” the issues mostly revolve around the obvious lack of literacy skills among most Internet users today. Most Internet users are completely overwhelmed by having to choose an alternative to Google, and therefore they prefer to put complete blind faith in the company that controls how they live their lives (or not).

[1] Here I thinking primarily of the type of “fans” who might say something like “I welcome my AI overlords” (without being very clear about what the concept “artificial intelligence” might actually refer to); See also “If Google is the Pope of the Internet, Then Who Are You & I?“.