Everybody is familiar with a company named Google. A well-known search engine, its name is infamous for searching anything you could ever want to know. Google is not just a search engine though. They are expanding into social media and possibly showing inadequacies of the popular powerhouse Facebook. This short video gives a glance into the social media platform Google Plus that is currently in the testing phase:
According to hypebot.com, Google Plus will provide several features that will differ from Facebook:
Each of these features seems promising. Google Circles sounds like life will be easier searching for and condensing friends. As said in the video, “sometimes its not relevant to talk about certain things with certain people.” Different aspects of your life are now subdivided as you see fit, supplying more privacy and relaying information directly to those who need to know. Another feature to note, Google Hangout, helps solve the issue of groups and group chats. Who isn’t sick of being added to groups they just don’t care about and the emails that go with them after a stranger updates? Plus, it solves the issues with Skype. You talk to who you want, not some stranger who searched your location. Finally Group Huddle eliminates Facebook Instant Chat. If you’re not at your computer, the message goes to your inbox, clogging it with large amounts of small talk. With Huddle, since you can pull exactly who you want from the list or grab a circle, you’re getting information from who you want quickly and efficiently.
Google Plus seems like an innovative idea, restoring a level of privacy, but still remaining interactive. The features organize social media in order to sift out the clutter and useless information. This also seems like a strong social media business platform. The user remains professional and what has been posted to a cluttered wall will not offend the employer or business professional. Facebook has always acted as a casual site for people to let loose and post anything and everything. If you’re friends, you see what has been posted. You try to be friends and the invites pending, you get some access to what that person does. Google Plus revives professionalism in this social media platform design. You can turn on different aspects of yourself to relevant groups, saving face and impressions.
How does this affect the music industry? Circles will help solve the issue of transparency with fans. Artists can group their fans into a broad circle or subdivide people all the way down to City. Adding the feature of Google Hangout provides the transparency fans adore, face-to-face chat time with their beloved artist. This could take video chatting to a whole new level because multiple fans can interact with each other as well. Also, Group Huddle based off of fan circles could be a great promotional tactic per city. Fans could get special opportunities such as, “First person to respond to BLANK question gets a meet and greet with X band.” Promotions can be tailored to cities now, while others don’t have to be bogged down with information that doesn’t affect them.
The downside to all of this is that it will be on Google. As said by my classmate Jalesia Offer, “I don’t want all of my stuff on Google.” Condensing everything may leave you limited from other options. The Internet is constantly changing and new programs are being developed and released rapidly. Maybe Google will get this right or maybe someone else will create the next best thing.
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