And, soon enough, it may completely change the way you find information.
Welcome to the age of Google where, if you do not know it, you can surely find it with a click of your mouse and a few strokes of your keyboard.

It is a phenomenon that began to sweep the world in 1998 as a new, surprisingly lucrative era of information transformed the way we see the world and continues to encompass almost all aspects of society today.
Google has recently put an emphasis on placing local results above national and international results for various searches. This means that, as a St. Louisan, when you search for “pizza,” Imo’s will likely come up before Domino’s.

In this particular case, the superior product is promoted, which is obviously beside the point, but this might not always be the desired results for searchers, raising concerns for Google users.
For information purposes, this local-above-all-else system is lacking, but for conventional and economical purposes, it could be just another welcomed step in simplifying life even further, as impossible as that may sound.

Realistically, Google is used for its practicality and accessibility, reaching millions of hits everyday and simple in interface and usability. If someone is searching for a place to go get groceries, odds are they will not be too particular as to what company name that place possesses.

In the past, the first results would likely be littered with national chains like Hyvee and Albertson’s, but this new local search capability would allow more local and independent grocers, like Straub’s, to bombard Google users.
It seems minute in nature, but in a society in which time truly is fleeting, every saved second seems like something worth seizing.

In another way, this could be just the boost needed to help local companies prosper and survive.
It may seem like this, a small shift in how information arrives, could not really have an effect on the way that companies function but for some small organizations, this could be all they need.

The fact that a local result will be the first option a person could see could be just enough to make them use the company or, at the very least, consider it.
And that may be all these small- to medium-sized need to keep from being swallowed whole by the major organizations that were otherwise able to monopolize Google results.

Every student knows that Google has the answer, no matter the question, so, when researching papers, memorizing information or clearing up ambiguities, Google is often a student’s best friend. By placing local results at the forefront of every search, however, it will make it more difficult, although not impossible, to obtain certain information.

If any of the needed information is in regards to international or national matters, extra steps must be taken in order to reach the appropriate sources. This small bump in the road is not enough to bog the system down, though.

And while it may prove to be a problem for the researchers that rely on Google for their matters of detailed or international proportions, everyone else should take this change into stride and appreciate the possibility of its effects.

The chance for economic prosperity and overall convenience is a superior benefit to any information limit that could be claimed, however miniscule.