Alphabet: The Becoming of Google

Description

Google is synonymous with searching, but in this innovative new research volume, Micky Lee explores how the Alphabet Corporation, now the parent company of Google, is more than just a search engine. Using a political economic approach, Lee draws on the concept of networks to investigate the growth of this key media player. The establishment of the parent company, Alphabet, shows the company is expanding to other industries from equity investment to self-driving cars. This book first examines this history of expansion, before delving into the economic, political, and cultural profiles of the corporation. Lee ultimately finds that what makes Google powerful is not one genius idea, but rather networks of people, places, and capital. Alphabet: The Becoming of Google is a compelling dive into the sometimes inscrutable world of Google, ideal for students, scholars, and researchers interested in the fields of digital media studies, the politics and economies of online media, and the history of the internet. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Illustrations Chapter 1 Introduction Being and Becoming Network Theoretical Frameworks Books about Google Why Another Book on Google? A Note on Texts and Methods Chapter Outline Bibliography Chapter 2 History What Google Search Tells Us About the History of Google Phase 1: Before Google Initial Public Offering (IPO) Phase 2: Google as a Public Company Phase 3: Alphabet How Does Network Analysis Add to Narrative Analysis? How is Network Analysis Useful to Political Economists? Notes Bibliography Chapter 3 Economic Profile Time in a Capitalistic Networked Economy New Developments? From G(oogle) to A(lphabet) Corporate Structure and Properties Financial Data and Market Share Typical Strategies Conclusion Notes Bibliography Chapter 4 Political Profile Power in a Political Economy of Communication Actor-Network Theory and Power How This Chapter Conceptualizes Power A Network of Google Ownership Board of Directors Government Advisory Role, Campaign Contribution, and Lobbying Google in Other Countries Political Profile: What is Google? Notes Bibliography Chapter 5 Cultural Profile Does Alphabet Have a Culture? What If the New Has Never Been New? How Do Engineers See the World? Symbolic Universe and Ideology Job Stratification Across Race and Gender One Google, Two Worlds: The “Shadow” Workforce Notes Bibliography Chapter 6 Conclusion Structures or Networks? Can ANT Remedy Shortcomings in a Political Economy of Communication? Bibliography Index