ELIMINATING GOOGLE FROM MY LIFE: A More Challenging Endeavor than Eliminating Facebook Was [FIRST DRAFT]

-- By DavidKorvin - 7 Jan 2012

Introduction

Throughout the semester, we discussed in detail the freedom problems that Facebook and Google imposes on its users. As mentioned in my first essay, I have found it rather easy to eliminate Facebook from my life completely, but I have been unable to do the same with Google. In particular, “Gmail” is the product that I still feel compelled to use on a daily basis, and it is not because of its e-mail function, but rather because of the “Gchat” function that is accessed by using a Gmail account.

In this essay, I will explore why I have found it much more difficult to quit Gchat than it was for me to stop using Facebook. Additionally, I will discuss some things open source programmers should for in designing an alternative to Gchat.

Reasons Why Gchat has become a Central Part of My Social Life

I think there are two reasons why gChat has become a far more integral part of my online social life than Facebook ever was. The first factor being that I only have my closest friends as Gchat contacts (around 50), while I had many acquaintances and “friends-of-friends” on Facebook (around 700). As a result, my expectations while going on Gchat have always been higher because each time I log on I plan for a higher percentage of my online interactions to be with people that I truly care about; I cannot say that I ever felt the same way when I used to log on to Facebook. Therefore, because my Gchat experience is only limited to my closest friends, I find it to be a much more personal and fulfilling experience than I ever found Facebook to be.

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Conclusion

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