Google Palestine

As I pursued the Internet this evening I came across this article.

In sum, today Google changed its platforms to call Palestine "Palestine" instead of "Palestinian Territories." 

At first you might be like, "Yup, OK, not a big deal."

You would be part of a large swath of the populace in making such a statement. But there is a lot going on in this news piece.

I don't have many insights to offer regarding this, certainly nothing profound that has not been said elsewhere, but I think it is important to note this day because we may look back on it in years to come as one signpost along the way marking the course of global affairs.

The Palestine/Israel conflict is long and complex, but it is not that which I wish to focus on. I do not think this day is as important for that conflict as it is for corporations influence in global affairs.

We live in a world where multinational corporations have bigger budgets and more sway at bargaining tables than many nation-states. It was only a matter of time before this potential influence was leveraged (this by no means is a first example). Economic lobbying has been done for some time, and the economic power of corporations has been fused into the geopolitical dialogue.

What I find significant in this case specifically is that language is being leveraged. Money is not the platform of dialogue, rather it is communication itself. I find this striking because we do not always comprehend the significance of language in how we perceive the world. Yet here is a small alteration that has significant implications in how many people will perceive the issue in the future as Google dominates so much of our content interactions. (Once again this is nothing new as Newspapers previously dictated much of the language consumed)

What is even more striking is the notion that technological innovation itself is now impacting global affairs. We use Google because it works, it has a recognizable brand, and it is quick. The Google software was such that it captured the global market and now has notable sway in international politics.

These are interesting times we are living in.