G-Male Video

I’m a little conflicted over the implications of the video. I’m caught in between being worried about Google’s invasiveness and the helpfulness of their advertisements and customization abilities.  There is definitely a scary quality to how easily they are able to monitor your online activity and emails and it raises the question of where to draw the line- if there is a line at all.  At the moment, in my opinion Google’s surveillance and involvement is pretty benign, but I can definitely see how it could get out of hand of dangerous. I think it’s extremely risky for one company to have such detailed history and information about millions of people. But while I see these risks, I feel like for now, the advertisements and suggestions are helpful and nonthreatening. I definitely see Google differently after watching the video. I think the video’s personification gave Google a more relevant representation of the company’s actions than what most people envision. Seeing Google as a person made it so much more real and invasive. I think because there isn’t normally a face or body to visualize Google, we become detached from their actions and don’t fully weigh their implications. I knew that people are often concerned about Google’s involvement in their customers’ online activity, but I didn’t know how extensive it was. In regards to how I would react if a less reputable company utilized similar tactics, I feel like I would most likely respond differently. I would probably be more bothered by the invasiveness because they would have less of a reputation to uphold if controversy or extreme infringements were to arise.