Switching from Google can feel like an impossible task. A lot of the same reasons apply to why it’s so hard to move away from Facebook. There are network effects that keep people coming back, and it can be difficult to share files or messages with people using Google products if you aren’t using them.
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Google Has Billions of Users
- Every time someone wants to share a Google Doc with you, or chat with you on Google Hangouts, they are reinforcing your use of Google.
- If you’re trying to avoid Google it can be difficult if you have to use the platform for work or school.
- If you use Google tools to communicate with your friends or co-workers, switching could mean losing those connections.
Google Has (Almost) No Competition
Sure, there are other search engines, other email providers, and other file storage tools available. However, none of these are made by the same company and have the same smooth integrations as Google. There is no company with a full suite of products as complete and as convenient as Google’s.
For many people, Google makes their browser, their smartphone and its operating system, their email service, their search engine, their messaging tool and their cloud storage platform. This makes the process of switching from Google overwhelming.
You’ve Probably Been Using Google For Years
Most people used Google for the first time over a decade ago. It’s difficult to kick the habit of using Google, especially when it’s so integrated into every other product you use. Using Google has become second nature. You no longer have to type ‘google.com’ into your address bar to search Google. It’s built-in to your browser. Switching from Google means you’ll have to go through your settings and manually turn Google off in favor of another search engine.
Google Has a Full Suite of Products
Switching away from Google is not as simple as just switching search engines, because you likely use many of Google’s products. Google has a full suite of incredibly popular tools. In fact, it has eight products with over one billion users. And it’s so easy to use these products because you can log in with your Google account.
If You’re An Android User You’re Even More Stuck
Using Google on your desktop computer is one thing, but having it on your mobile devices that you have with you all the time is an even more difficult trap to get out of. In Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s testimony in front of the House Judiciary committee, he claimed that Android users have a good understanding of the volume of data that Google collects on them thanks to the user agreement that Android users consent to. That’s the same cop out that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg used. According to a Deloitte survey, “91% of people consent to legal terms and services conditions without reading them.” It’s irresponsible for Google to claim that people are aware of how the company collects their data.