Are we Addicted to Google?

The question of how much power Google has in our lives has been raised a lot recently.  It's true, we Google everything from how to spell a word to how to make the best Chili.  But does this constant Googling and Youtube video watching and Reddit reading actually mean we are addicted to these mediums?

To answer this questions, let's start with a comparison with someone who is addicted to smoking.  They try to quit, they know they should, but the nicotine craving is just too much.  If the person addicted to smoking does successfully quit, they go through a miserable "detox" period in which they're cravings are at an all time high but are never satisfied.

Would the same go for someone who tried to quit using Google, Youtube, Facebook, or another online medium?  Personally, I gave up Facebook for lent one year and had no problem not checking it.  It was actually a little liberating.  But, of course, as soon as Easter was over I was back to checking Facebook on a daily basis.  But I feel like that's because there's nothing like Facebook anywhere else.

Google, to me, is different.  Anything you can do or find on Google, you can do or find somewhere else on the internet.  Google is just more convenient because it's a "one stop shop" so to speak.  But you can look up a word's spelling and meaning in an online dictionary or find out a recipe in an online cookbook.  You don't NEED Google to do those things.

But if you asked someone to use an ACTUAL dictionary or an ACTUAL cookbook I don't think they could do it.  So in conclusion, I don't think we are addicted to Google, but I definitely think we're completely addicted and dependent on the internet as a whole.

Response to Trine-Maria Kristensen Interview

The world of blogging is definitely a different type of universe than anything that came before it.  I liked what Kristensen said about having to "break the code" to get into the universe.  In order to blog well, you have to read other blogs.  Even for this class right now, we're responding to something we read.  The more you read, the better your blog will be.

I also enjoyed Kristensen's response about the design being an important part of your blog.  I run the blog for the campus radio station, WONC.  When I started the blog, one of the biggest decisions to make was what the layout would be.  Your blog's layout and design has to match it's content otherwise there's an imbalance.

I can definitely relate to Kristensen's response about how much traffic she gets.  WONC's blog does a weekly "Battle of the Week" between two songs.  Fan votes decide which song stays in the battle for next week.  Sometimes there will be upwards of 30,000 votes in one battle, those days garner the most traffic for the website.

I can also relate to Kristen's decision to use WordPress for her blog.  It's what I use for WONC's blog and it's so detailed yet really easy to use.  It makes your blog resemble an actual website, which is a nice feature.  WordPress also makes it easy to embed photos and videos to your posts, which is extremely convenient for a radio station to use.

Kristensen's constant reference to how she writes based on her interests are the backbone of what blogging is all about.  A blog can not and will not be successful unless you write about what you enjoy, and in turn you will enjoy writing about it.  Odds are if you enjoy a topic you will be knowledgeable on it, which will make you and your blog more credible.

I liked what Kristensen said about the parody of how long it takes her to write some articles.  It truly is all about flow, but other times longer articles need some time to construct themselves.  If you have an article that requires a specific tone or that needs to invoke a particular emotion, it may take you longer to decide on how exactly to write that piece to help your article portray the correct message.