Will Google's greed ruin the Internet?

"Internet users are largely oblivious to the fact that our online experience -- websites, search engines and social networks -- is being shaped to better serve advertisers, including those 'big brand' purveyors of cars, fast food, and prescription drugs. As part of this process, individuals are being electronically 'shadowed' online, our actions and behaviors observed, collected, and analyzed so we can be 'micro-targeted.' The goal of interactive marketing is to use the awesome power of new media to deeply engage us in what is being sold: whether it's a car, a vacation, a politician or a belief.

"Google is by far the most ambitious of this new breed of interactive advertising companies. It now dominates the search business, recently earning more than three-quarters of ad dollars spent for that medium. The one part of the online ad industry it covets but does not yet have real clout is known as the 'display' market -- those flashy and video-like ads on major websites -- that's where Doubleclick comes in ...

"With the Internet and other online media holding such promise for achieving diversity of expression, do we really want to find ourselves beholden to a global few to underwrite the editorial content essential for democracy? These are among the key concerns that should be on a progressive agenda for this and future digital generations ..."
Will Google's Greed Ruin the Internet?

Categories: corporations, google, internet