Google, the multinational Internet technology powerhouse that single handedly transformed online advertising and revolutionized the search engine as we know it, may be in fact eroding from the inside out. In recent years, Google has branched out and expanded at a rate that makes Dubai look conservative. Their focus has shifted from the search engine that started it all, to an aggressive mandate of acquiring a new company each month in 2010. By no means is Google going down anytime soon – far from it – however, their iconic search engine is maturing in a market that is being conquered by young, sophisticated, digital natives who demand information immediately. Pages of blue text linked to potentially accurate information are becoming passé. So what’s next for the search engine?

Apps. The little widgets that we download profusely to our iPods, smart phones, and computers are expanding at a rapid pace – and for good reason, they’re convenient. Think about it, if you want to check the weather, rather than entering the URL, then the city you’re in, you just push a button and voilà! Or if you’re having trouble choosing a restaurant, just refer to your desired eatery app, select your preferences, and then select a destination from a plethora options. Taxi’s, movies, hotel’s, all app-cessible – and that’s just for a hot date! Needless to say, applications that contain specific information are the future for acquiring knowledge. The cumbersome search engine as we know it, is turning into the phone book of the 2000’s, or an internet index if you will, and there are no signs of radical change.

Apps are just the tip of the iceberg though. As illustrated by our Web Developer, Mike Postma, there are much bigger things on the horizon. Facebook’s latest technology, Open Graphs, allows you to “like” a particular web page, which in-turn tells your friends about it on their “news feed”. With this development, searching for intriguing information will no longer be retrieved by the layperson, rather the mavens will, and in pure democratic style — or a glorified popularity contest — the best information will win. People trust information generated by word-of-mouth more than anything else, and with the fundamentally impersonal structure of search engines, the appeal of using Google et al. diminishes.

Digital word-of-mouth is dramatically changing the way companies promote themselves. Just last week, micro-blogging site Twitter announced that it would be introducing an advertising structure that allows businesses to pay a fee for promoted tweets. Essentially, companies like Starbucks will pay Twitter to place their tweets at the top of search results, much like Google does with sponsored links in their search engine. The difference is, rather than clicking on the link and being dragged to a website packed with information, you are taken to their Twitter page, which contains 140-character posts about their new and upcoming promotions. Prior to Twitter, or even this new advertising model, you either heard about the promo at the water cooler, or you had to routinely check-up on a company to find out about their great deals. Thus, Twitter has found a way to combine the water cooler effect with corporate promotions, and make money from it. It sounds lucrative, and some may view it that way, but it’s also ingenious. I mean really, who doesn’t want to hear about a sale at their favourite store by simply checking Twitter. It’s short, sweet, and to the point.

In the end, much like the phone book, the search engine will never die. There are still sizable groups of people that type the URL into the search bar oblivious to the fact that they can save a step by typing it in the bar a few inches higher. Furthermore, until an app is created that can resolve an argument by answering any question under the sun in less than a second, the natural response will always be to “Google it!”

After spending four years completing his Bachelor of Business Administration in the thriving metropolis of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Dorian decided to explore other major cities around the world. Although sporadic trips were exciting, the novelty of serving double tall lattes faded fast. Thus returning to his native Halifax was a no-brainer, as too was his decision to pursue his passion in advertising. However, when Dorian isn’t crutching around the office, he enjoys relaxing with friends and taking in the best sounds and suds Halifax has to offer. You can find anything from Jazz to House music on his iPod… just not the Jonas Brothers.