We know many computer developments are justified in the name of modernity and socializing. If I were to pick any two names that will define my entire e-learning, friendships and networking – Google and Facebook are the unanimous picks.
The former is the online ‘akshya patra’ of knowledge. The omnipotent and the ubiquitous platform can narrate, teach and show anything on this planet, sometimes beyond our imagination and intellect too. The latter is the youth’s heart throb and the advertising brands’ showcase. It is the one and only place where Gen Z expresses its agony and felicity in a public mode. The irony is it being ‘liked’ and ‘shared’ by his/her circle.
Facebook, over these eight years, has successfully driven into one’s curriculum so deep, that there is almost no typical student without an account in it. It is a sound approach, which binds friendships beyond ‘timelines’ and space times. Stepping ahead of the age where we had limited means for socializing, Facebook gave us plenty options to stay connected. Despite the Google+’s entry later on, it withstood the competition and was never deprived of its number 1 position. After its recent successful launch of ‘Graph search’, evidently, it plunged a counter blow to the global search engine ‘Google’. The working is simple — short listing the places, domains and the areas of interest that are shared and liked by one’s friend circle.
The Geeky Details:
Interestingly, this is led by two Google engineers — Lars Rasmussen and Tom Stocky. Driven by the simple phrase ‘birds of the same feather flock together’, this search animates the well-known fact that a person’s decisions are majorly taken by his/her closest friends’ choice, not always by a critic’s (read it as stranger’s) analysis. Be it anything- purchase, travel, arts. Ever noticed how many of your songs or interests are already liked by your friends in Facebook? Well, that unveils it all. Here are a few issues enlisted:
1) Search for what is best is justified. Rather than assuming an open-ended query and giving links that might give answers, this takes precise questions and gives the answers.
2) Privacy has no barricades. Things or issues will be shared only if we want them to be.
3) This search uses the database that has been stored since its inception. This enables the creation of exhaustive list of items when ‘searched’.
4) Advertisers can target better — only with things that will interest us. Not by a random keyword, match probe.
5) Pictures on Instagram and the status updates are not included in the search.
In technical terms, it is still in the beta testing and Bing (A Microsoft Product) completes the search, if not consummated by Facebook.
The Future tense is not so positive: Translating the current scenario, this seems to be one big technical stride in our progress, reducing our efforts. Nevertheless, speaking of the unimaginable consequences that will be popping up tomorrow, I can see this is not as awesome as we might have expected.
Picture this: People whom you do not want to see at some place, or occasion — waiting for you to come, before you actually reach there. Despite you not telling your whereabouts, if everything is being understood? When you feel some one is always stalking you and later realize that you gave them the very chance? A phase of life where you feel there is nothing personal about yourself?
Hard to digest, but that is where I can trace most of us. Added to it, Tom Stocky at the launch told that apart from recruiting, this search could be very useful for dating. Come on, how safe could this be? To generalize, anything personal that is unnoticed and undeclared on a global platform will be safe and heedful.
Encompassing the two ends of this issue, it would be very productive if it is used in the way it is designed for. Anyways, the list of words that are ambi-usable as both verbs and nouns is slowly appending. Google then, Facebook now. What’s next?