If Google went for a business..?

What if Google started charging for the services it offered?
Imagine! For every mail we sent, we had to pay some amount! For every page we read, pay. For every search result, pay. Scary!

It will run Google out of business soon. Or at least bring the business down considerably! Most people rely on Google cos of its accuracy and security. And feasibility.
People would switch over to other services li'l less accurate but free. Oh I have seen enough of ads to know about people falling head over heels for "Freebies".

Cyberspace has no borders now. Now imagine if it did! Of prices, or laws, ettiquetes, politics..
-Accepted some spaces are confined. Like, if you search something in China, you get results different from the rest of the world. And France banning the sale of Nazi memorabilia.. And some sites providing certain services only to particular nationals. But other than that, I can generalize this I guess. -

The seamless worlds most of us have built for ourselves, would disappear instantly.
We could no longer be in touch as frequently with people outside our country. Let alone country, our own states. India being that diverse. I could no longer find it feasible to be in touch with lots of people whom I don't meet daily. Imagine Blogger being confined to just that one state you are from? And no other search results appear in your window than from the state you are in?
Disaster. Right?

What if the Online news went dear? I would certainly not check news online then. Would stick to Papers at home, which I sometimes find clumsy and cumbersome. Online, it is all just clicks. Easy.

We have social networking.. We have tax payment options online.. We have business deals and opportunities.. Knowledge.. Platforms.. We have everything. Almost.

I should say, the virtual life we have, is almost a replica of real life now. -For people far apart by distance I meant.- You can talk, see, spend time together.. Anything in fact.
Except touch. But you know, when you are far, you anyways can't do that. Virtual life betters the plight of people like that. And the others with time constraints. One click and you are there!
And instead of burning fuel to reach a place, you save money, time and energy.
The resulting fusion of virtual and real life, suits most just fine. Unlike what the critics of technology foresaw and still hum about.

When it comes to Mobiles, smsing -or in popular lingo, texting-, I remember a time when I had to pay Rs. 2 /SMS. And now, I have 1000s of sms free per month without the "keep recharging in bulk and we will serve you" stuff. Web on my fingertips..
Call rates are down. Voice sms, video conference everything... So much of change in just 4-5 years..
May be in future, [Mostly cos of VoIP phones] we would not have to pay anything for services on mobiles. You can be here and be there at the same time. More for less. Improvement. Call it that.
Aint that making life simpler? And better?


I dont say it does not have disadvantages. I am more than aware of many. But incidently, they are all from overuse. And carelessness. If you are careful, there is only so much Internet and technology can harm you with.

For someone like me, whose life is based on communication, things like net and mob are boons. Than banes.
It has always been hard to predict the impact of a technology. View it with doubt. But an open mind. May be it will make the world better and not worse. You never know until you let it have a try.
And if Google chose to charge me for every mail I sent, I would go either bankrupt soon or sulk to no end for want of ways to reach my near ones.
Hence, Jai Google!. :P :P :P

PS- Why did I write this? I donno. Just cos I was wondering about Gmail being a paid service.. Hehe! :D