Google's Internet City

"Google is taking over the world." People have been saying this nonchalantly for years.

But hello it's really happening.

                                     Google

is trying to buy 

                                                                                                  a city.

They have applied for, and are planning to create a high-tech city "from the internet up" on a 12-acre plot of land in Toronto, Canada, that mirrors a tech company but on a drastically larger scale.

The vision entails urban areas with a plethora of sensors, unlimited broadband connectivity, and big data collection capability like never before.

Reminds me of Parks and Rec season 7, episode 5 where tech company, Gryzzl, had taken over the city of Pawnee, Indiana. They monopolized internet services and the market on technology devices in town and took advantage of the situation in an exaggerated comedy TV way that maybe hit a little too close to home.

Talk about a data collection dream! But, it turns out Gryzzl was infringing on people's privacy rights in the most invasive way: tapping into phone microphones, cameras, and reading texts, etc. Most people aren't ready for drones dropping personalized gifts at their front doors---who knew?!





This episode highlights what not to do on this slippery slope that Google is embarking on in a comedic way. Also, the 2017 movie, The Circle, echoes the same sentiments of many skeptical consumers (check it out HERE if you're interested).

In a more positive light, this experiment has the potential to change digital marketing in a groundbreaking way. Perhaps it's the next logical step towards a Jetsons-like reality.

Imagine data collection kiosks even more seamlessly integrated into society than they already are, with the capability to collect data on pollution, crowd congestion, and other urban city issues. That technology and knowledge would be influential in solving some of our annoying first world problems, as well as human history as we know it.

Marketing could be so fine-tuned and accurate, that consumers wouldn't bat an eye at giving marketers even more information on how they live and what they like. 

Google sees internet cities as the next natural step in society's technological progression, but what do you think?

Let me know in the comments!