by
Mark Ollig
Zeitgeist
means “the spirit of the times.”
Google
believes this word and definition are fitting to describe the program it
started to share global search information and trends.
The
term Zeitgeist is defined in the online Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as “the
general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era.”
Google’s
Zeitgeist events are a series of informal gatherings of the world’s top
intellectuals and leaders.
“Hear
perspectives from industry pioneers and states people, renowned writers and
bloggers, scientists and artists, activists and musicians. Learn from
progressive minds, and discuss topics that influence the world around us,” is
how Google describes Zeitgeist.
I
watched a series of videos from this year’s Zeitgeist 2012 event on YouTube,
which is owned by Google. This collection is called ZeitgeistMinds.
Afterwards,
I thought of the Bob Dylan song, “The times, they are a-changing.”
The
spirit of the times, even the current pulse of the nation, can be somewhat
understood through the accumulation and analysis of commonly searched themes or
specific word search queries Google processes.
We
are able to access search engines via the 6 billion smart mobile phones being
used in a world with a population of 7 billion.
What
was once thought of as science fiction is today commonplace. I refer to when we
are holding our Android, iPhone, or other smart mobile device. We literally
have access in the palm of our hand, a portal we can go through to discover
seemingly inexhaustible knowledge.
Through
search engines accessed on our mobile devices, we can instantly view documents,
images, statistics, and video libraries.
Using
our mobile devices, we are immediately sharing with the world our own original
content via social media interaction.
We
are capable of reporting and commenting on news stories and events as they
happen with not only those in our own country, but with other countries,
societies, and cultures around the world.
This
quote sums it up nicely: “Imagine going from no information to the entire
world’s information with one device,” said Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of
Google during a recent Zeitgeist sales conference in Paradise Valley, AZ.
Google’s
annual Zeitgeist report discloses what caught the world’s attention during the
past year, by ranking Google searches according to our interests at particular
moments in time.
The
Zeitgeist conferences talk about technology, what people are searching for on
Google, and how these search results can determine the current mood of the not
only this country, but that of the world.
Zeitgeist
conferences interpret how our Google searches affect our social, economic,
political, and cultural surroundings.
At
the beginning of his talk, Schmidt asked the audience “How many of you have
used Google in the last 24 hours?”
Many
hands went up. Schmidt responded, “I just wanted to see that; it made me feel
better.”
The
audience laughed.
He
then went on to talk seriously about how technology and intelligent networks
are changing the manner in which we are able to communicate with each other.
Schmidt
said we are now able to converse with others speaking different languages using
a technology called Universal Language Translation.
He
took a smart phone out of his pocket, held it up, and said, “How many
disagreements in society; wars, conflicts, prejudices, and so forth, have
ultimately been because people could not communicate?”
He
then talked about how by using Google technology (and others), we can speak
into our phone (he was using an Android phone) and have the language we use
automatically translated (via the power of the intelligent network servers in
the background) to the desired language on the other user’s phone.
“It’s
extraordinary. This is really magic!,” exclaimed Schmidt.
The
1960s science fiction “Star Trek” universal translator device has become a
reality.
The
talk continued with how technology can help solve certain global difficulties,
such as with education, getting help to small businesses, and improving energy
self-efficiency.
Schmidt
talked about how all the routine things we do during the day will eventually be
handled seamlessly through various forms of artificial intelligence.
He
also talked about a whole new generation of robots that will respond to gesture
recognition, and how these robots will represent us.
“I
don’t like to stay out at night, so I’ll send my robot to the party and [it]
can represent me,” mused Schmidt. “He’ll have a good time and report to me in
the morning,”
The
audience laughed, but Schmidt got serious again and said, “You think I’m
kidding? There are companies building these special robots right now, and they
are uncannily powerful.”
It
has been 15 years since the google.com domain name was registered.
And
ever since Google went online, the number of folks searching for information by
“Googling it” has soared.
Of
course, Google is not the only search engine on the Internet; in fact, Google
was not even the first search engine of note.
In
1990, Archie became the first practical search engine (which yours truly used)
on the Internet.
Created
in 1990 by Alan Emtage, Archie was originally called “archives,” but was
shortened to Archie.
Whichever
search engine or method of technology we use to access information, let’s use
it wisely in order to make for a healthier Zeitgeist throughout our world.
