Google Plus. Friend or Foe?

So, I have spent a while using Google Plus. Along side my uses of Facebook and Twitter.

Ultimately, I didn't like it.

There wasn't anything in particular it did wrong. But it didn't do enough to keep me engaged either.

I have to admit all I used it for was to crosspost stuff from Facebook and Twitter onto it instead. Some of the technology podcasts I listen to liked to talk about who it was somehow better or at least where more of their types of people hang out on the internet.


I'm sorry, but I cannot agree. At least in my case, this just was not born out. Most of my friends and associates are on Facebook and Twitter. And most of my activities are there. It was pretty telling when out of all my time there, only one person who I could consider a friend bothered to interact with me on a regular basis on Google Plus. Everyone else just shunned it. And the people in the tech podcasts I listen to still like to flog it into the ground. There are times where they sound a little too much like Google fanboys. The moment the company decides to rear it's head and cause them major heartache in doing so will be the time they all regret it.

To be honest with you, there was one incident that finally made me decide Google Plus was not for me. It wasn't the only cause but it was certainly the straw that broke the camel's back. I won't go into it in any detail but the perceived cheek of some of the responses I got meant that I had to call it a day. Other issues such as Google's incessant datamining meant I had to consider if I wanted to keep giving them information on myself. Yes I know the bigger social networking players do this as well, but Google are in such a massive dominant position that I have more concerns about them than the others. And then when they tried to make Google Plus compulsory to use Youtube comments, that didn't help matters. I refused to merge my Youtube account with my Google Plus profile at the time (Although given that the comments section on Youtube is often full of racism, misogyny and general unpleasant abuse, not being able to participate may not be a total loss).

And this is part of the problem I find with Google and indeed other large multinational corporations. Especially the ones that end up with a monopoly of the market. The point of a free market is that there is choice and competition. However Google has effectively destroyed it's competition in the search engine market and it is only increasing it's strangle hold on the market by the buyout of various companies. "Well, if you don't like it, stop using their products!" I hear you scream. Indeed it is what I would be shouting at myself if I was reading this from any outside view. The problem is that there really isn't the true choice we once had. I recall from my youth using other search engines and site listings like Altavista and Yahoo. The former, as far as I know, has basically gone bust and the former is in dire financial straits. Almost everyone now has a Google Mail address. You probably have one now as you read this as every Android cellphone (Another Google product) requires you to sign up for an account on their servers and that comes with said email address. And if you want alternatives, well you can shell out a lot of money an buy an Apple branded iOS device or try and make use of a Windows Phone device from Microsoft, who are facing some resistance from Google who won't support (At least officially) some of their services on Windows Phone devices. Abusing their market dominance? Never!</sarcasm>

 (Also have a look at this info graphic and tell me I still have a choice. Aye, I have a choice, but only between switching from one brand to another. Still the same massive holding company. http://www.logodesignlove.com/the-illusion-of-choice)

Eventually it will come to the point where Google will have enough information on us to blackmail us into doing their bidding. Or Google's servers will become self-aware and kill us all, akin to the Terminator film series where Skynet decides to deploy nuclear weapons on us all. One of the two. It should be pointed out that I am trying to reduce reliance on Google services just to minimise hypocrisy. Migrating my email elsewhere even to a paid server is under strong consideration as well. And ultimately after that last straw, my Google Plus account was deactivated. And I'm not really missing it. I would not say no to returning to it, but it won't be any time soon. Even Google itself seems to have given up on making Plus a necessity for all it's services.

A Plus? More like F Minus. With 3 other letters after it.

ADDENDUM: I can't even post comments on someone else's blog without that accursed G+ page...F double Minus. With 6 other letters and a space between then now.