Google in 2011 (February 17, 2011)is getting weaker than Facebook according to Fortune. At the crux of this phenomenon is competition vs, co-operation. Because “organizing the world’s information” essentially is about an Internet searching individual’s ( a competitive trait) ability to now share that search’s most relevant results with her/his friends via Facebook that appeals to the searcher’s co-operative spirit.
[Note: This post from February 17, 2011] is updated May 22, 2021 for formatting issues]
We are sort of amazed at the number of times this blog is shared on Facebook after it is discovered via Google. Invariably after being made a “Facebook favorite” somebody else seems to read the content putting the power of social media to work.And this phenomenon is rising over the last six months.
Clearly, individuals are in an “individualistic-competitive” mode that motivates them to search Google and once they feel that something is useful they share with their friends. And if your trusted friend shares something with you, you are likely to consider that link as credible as a top result in Google’s organic results.
In other words, Google needs to see itself as at least partially as an upstream supply chain provider of information with downstream distribution via Facebook and other social media.
Google and Bing rankings do account for social media sharing of pages, so competition and cooperation are likely to coexist in the information age, as will supply chains and distribution channels. With Google becoming the supply chain that supplies information which is partially re-distributed by social media like Facebook and Twitter.