{"id":3584,"date":"2014-11-30T06:10:54","date_gmt":"2014-11-30T11:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wavechronicle.com\/wave\/?p=3584"},"modified":"2015-03-04T17:50:44","modified_gmt":"2015-03-04T22:50:44","slug":"corporatism-to-trust-or-not-to-trust-google-analytics-ogle-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wavechronicle.com\/wave\/?p=3584","title":{"rendered":"Corporatism: To Trust or Not to Trust Google Analytics – Ogle Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

Article Reposted From Ogle Media.<\/a><\/h3>\n

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A most interesting question about Google\u2019s role in teaching analytics came up. So I thought I\u2019d share. It centered on the second video posted by Google Analytics Academy<\/span><\/a>, but it was the 3rd installment that provoked my reaction.<\/p>\n

Q: Can we trust what Google has to say about analytics since they own the algorithms that drive the most popular search engine in the world, and \u2026 set up a rival to Facebook. Is Google providing a public service by making their Web analytics software free, or is it part of a master marketing plan. What are your thoughts about Google\u2019s instructional approach to analytics. Do we trust it, or learn from it with a wary eye?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I watched all the units in Google\u2019s course. I think the second is useful for doing our everyday work. But looking for reasons \u2026 the 3rd turned my stomach. To be clear, I don\u2019t believe Google set out to provide a service intended for malice. Sifting through the Internet is a pain, and they do fill a need. But as every coder knows, an algorithm is always jaded by the values and knowledge of the programmer(s). And ultimately, Google is in the business of cash.<\/p>\n

We should also have some idea of where Google is actually going: Personalized searching with intuition<\/span><\/a> (finishing your words). That\u2019s good and bad. It eases our work, but it influences our thinking. So I question the worth of that last part:<\/p>\n

a.) for *what it is* and;
\nb.) where a sales pitch like that drives traffic.<\/p>\n

After all, Google nixed net neutrality in favor of the ISP a while ago<\/span><\/a>.
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Who knows what\u2019s gonna happen \u2026 But if they\u2019re serious about laying fiber, I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll want the odds in their favor. Which is kinda worrisome. Along with all their other bets, here in the U.S., we\u2019ve been repeatedly told that fiber\u2019s just too expensive. That we need to tolerate living with B-grade bandwidth. So if all that\u2019s true, and infrastructure really is sky-high \u2026 then how do we know all these investments by some Internet hot-shot won\u2019t affect the price of certain keywords? And come to think of it \u2026 does anyone even really<\/em> know how much Internet advertising will cost in 10 years \u2014 besides Google<\/em>?<\/p>\n

On a side note, Google still has a ways to go. Just look at this screenshot, and ask yourself if Google should teach us about engagement and awareness.<\/p>\n

\"Picture1\"<\/a><\/div>\n

But back to the matter at hand\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I see it, the main problem is that one corporation controls the data. Not just for individuals, but private and public sectors across the planet. Makes me wonder how Google will affect the espionage games that play out in the world of big business and state affairs, as it ages through the generations.<\/p>\n

I should probably say that I use Google\u2019s products more than I hang out on any social media website. But it\u2019s contradictory since I\u2019m suspicious of any financial entity exerting this kind of international control. So while I find their service all too convenient, my heart and my mind says that if Google continues to maintain and increase it\u2019s position of power, it\u2019s going to get protested \u2014 somewhere down the road.<\/p>\n

Philosophically, it\u2019s just not kosher for any one individual or entity to violate privacy for profit. Technically, it\u2019s despotic to continuously track an individual. And depending on circumstance \u2026 it\u2019s more or less an act of espionage or war, when perpetrated against a state or private business. So in this light, it\u2019s real simple to understand why the U.S. government forced its agencies to compromise Google in order to maintain state supremacy.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the humble origins of Google is a hero\u2019s story. And because of this, I think it aided in creating an atmosphere of laziness, that works against our vigilance to maintain the health of good democracy\u2026 and spread it around the world (I say that last part lightly<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Of course, at this point it probably doesn\u2019t matter anyway \u2026 since the majority of the planet is infected with the rhetoric and discourse of neoliberalism (read Harvey<\/span><\/a> and Chomsky<\/span><\/a><\/em>). By and large, people seem more interested in playing Google\u2019s game, than examining the bottom line.<\/p>\n

For instance, the CPC of $.55 for the keyword \u201cmonsanto\u201d is relatively cheap in comparison to \u201cmonsanto evil\u201d at $1.64. This is great for Monsanto, but what does it mean for its detractors?<\/p>\n

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These things are unclear but I, for one, would like to know what happens when Google goes through a big change in management. What kind of people will control our information then? How will my children and grand-children fare in the bigger picture? And how much will it cost to voice opposition to the powers that be? Should I blindly trust Google\u2019s ever-changing algorithms, analytic schemes and PR department \u2026 or should I just be myself and shudder at the thought?<\/p>\n

Google Analytics Academy: Unit 3 points that triggered my reaction<\/strong><\/p>\n