Nasman 1

Naomi Nasman
Justin Jory
English 1010 013
05 March 2013
Rationale
In reading James Gleick's How Google Dominates Us, I have determined that the main
argument being conveyed through this text is that Google controls us, and manipulates us
through the invasion of our privacy. The target audience for this particular writing is those who
use the internet, especially those who have used, or actively use Google. The above argument is
actively supported by multiple claims, one of which is saying that we need Google to find
answers, hence the quote by Gleick that states, Google is where we go for answers. Without
Google, we would be completely lost as to how to obtain our information. Google is being, in a
sense, personified when Gleick says (referring to Google), It's the World Brain. Another major
claim that supports the main argument is that Google has become a way of life. Referring to the
quote, The media seized on Google as a marker of a new form of behavior, written by Levy,
you can interpret that Google has become more than just a search engine, but also a new trend,
and an important part of our lives. Siva Vaidhyanathan, a scholar from the University of Virginia
said that, We are not Google's customers: we are its product. Without us, Google wouldn't be
possible, and now, more and more as time goes by, it seems like without Google we wouldn't be
able to function properly as a society.
The reasoning behind the writing of this article can be pulled from Gleick saying, No
wonder there's some confusion about Google's exact role in that along with increasing fear
about its power and its intentions. He states right there that there is worry about Google's
Nasman 2

intentions, and where Google means to go with its increasing technology. On page eleven he
candidly asks, So is Google evil? and then later goes on to say, Google seems to be
everywhere, and seems to know everything. Google is daily part of most of our lives, and
because it so frequently appears, and we rely on it so heavily, should we be afraid that it has an
ulterior motive?
The additional strategy that I chose to use while reading this text was looking for logos,
and patterns within the major claims. I chose this strategy because after I had pared down my
text, I noticed a pattern of particularly important statements being made that all tied together in a
certain way; that way being, that they all supported the major argument in a logical approach. All
of the claims that I chose to use within my text support that Google invades our privacy in some
way, shape, or form.
I pared down the text within the article that I felt like didn't benefit to the main argument
that I am confronting. For example, on page 2, I cut the third paragraph because it talks about the
history of Google, and how it has grown. I also cut the next few paragraphs because they speak
about the potential that Google has to develop technology in the future. These two points are
great, and they add to depth, and emotion of the article, but they don't directly relate to the fact
that Google is dominating us. I took out most of page 3 because I feel like it was talking a lot
about how the internet works in general, and it didnt necessarily relate to the main argument. I
took out some stuff because it also felt repetitive to what I had already addressed. For example, I
took out the first paragraph on page 9 because I feel like the few previous pages had covered it.