The Googlization of Everything (And Why We Should Worry) 1st Edition

4.0 out of 5 stars 49 ratings
ISBN-13: 978-0520258822
ISBN-10: 0520258827
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. What is the nature of the transaction between Google's computer algorithms and its millions of human users? Are we heading down a path toward a more enlightened age, or are we approaching a dystopia of social control and surveillance? With these and other questions, University of Virginia media studies and law professor Vaidhyanathan thoughtfully examines the insidious influence of Google on our society. In just over a decade, Google has moved so rapidly in its mission to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" that cries of "Google it!" resound through high school classrooms, business offices, academic halls, and public libraries. As Vaidhyanathan points out, we must be cautious about embracing Google's mission and not accept uncritically that Google has our best interests in mind. He reminds us that Google is a publicly traded, revenue-driven firm that is dangerous in many subtle ways. By valuing popularity over accuracy and established sites over new ones, Google sets its own agenda regarding what information is most relevant to users, altering their perceptions about value and significance. Vaidhyanathan admirably concludes with a design for an information ecosystem called the Human Knowledge Project, which would be a more democratic means of parsing and organizing knowledge. (Mar.)
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Review

“An important book. While a number of excellent histories about the emergence of Google have been published . . . few writers have tried to take a comprehensive and critical look at the wider impact on society of Google's vast ambition ‘to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.’. . . Vaidhyanathan's perspective as an East Coast academic outside the group-think of Silicon Valley is a valuable one. He is a clear writer with an engaging voice, and a good guide for this peek behind the wizard's curtain.” ― San Jose Mercury News Published On: 2011-03-06

“This book is in no way an attack on Google but more like a parent asking a child, ‘What do you want to do with your life?’ then going through all the concerns one by one. Strongly recommended.” ―
Library Journal Published On: 2011-04-15

“Siva Vaidhyanathan . . . thinks we’ve become far too dependent on an arrogant, barely regulated company that gathers and stored tons of personal information about us.” -- Nick Eaton ―
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Published On: 2011-05-21

“A stimulating and controversial book.” ―
Times Higher Education Published On: 2011-08-11

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of California Press; 1st edition (March 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0520258827
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0520258822
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 0.9 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 49 ratings

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Siva Vaidhyanathan is a cultural historian and media scholar and is a professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia. Vaidhyanathan is a frequent contributor on media and cultural issues in various periodicals including The Chronicle of Higher Education, New York Times Magazine, The Nation, Slate, and The Baffler. He is a fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities and the Institute for the Future of the Book. He directs the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia, which produces a television show, a radio program, several podcasts, and the Virginia Quarterly Review. He has appeared in an episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to discuss early social network services. Vaidhyanathan has appeared in several documentary films, including Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013), Inside the Mind of Google (2009), and Freedom of Expression (2007). In 2016 Vaidhyanathan played a prominent role in the higher-education documentary, Starving the Beast. Vaidhyanathan was portrayed as a character on stage at the Public Theater in New York City in a play called Privacy (2016). Vaidhyanathan serves on the board of the Digital Public Library of America.

In March 2002, Library Journal cited Vaidhyanathan among its "Movers &amp; Shakers" in the library field. In the feature story, Vaidhyanathan lauded librarians for being "on the front lines of copyright battles" and for being "the custodians of our information and cultural commons." In November 2004 the Chronicle of Higher Education called Vaidhyanathan "one of academe's best-known scholars of intellectual property and its role in contemporary culture." He has testified as an expert before the U.S. Copyright Office on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Vaidhyanathan was born in Buffalo, New York, and attended the University of Texas at Austin, earning both a B.A. in History and a Ph.D. in American Studies.

Customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from other countries

Andreu
5.0 out of 5 stars A critical vision of Google's impact on our lives
Reviewed in Spain on November 5, 2013
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Jeffrey Low
3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read to be sure, and can certainly ...
Reviewed in Canada on July 11, 2015
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Kraftwerk
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 15, 2015
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