Let's Ditch Google as a Verb
Let's Ditch Google (Verb)
Even after three years without using google.com, the author still says "to Google" when asking someone to search the web—a habit that persists from Google's long search monopoly. Starting today, they'll consciously switch to generic terms like "look up" or "search" (in German, "nachschauen" or "suchen"). It's not about rejecting eponyms entirely, but about fairness to the search engine they actually use, Kagi.
It's not even that I am totally against eponyms (Deonym), it's just unfair to the search engine I actually use for naming it differently.
- kalleboo
I've been doing this since I started using Kagi since it sounds weird to say "I googled it and..." when I didn't actually use Google. I'm also not saying "I kagiied it" since half the people I talk to don't know what it is and for the rest it still sounds awkward so I've been going with variations for "I searched for it", "I did a web search", "I looked it up"...
While "google" may end up like the "kleenex" of web search, it seems more likely that people stop searching the web at all and just ask AI instead.
There's no good verb for "I asked ChatGPT", is there? "I slopped it"?
edit: maybe I'll bring back "bing it" since nobody would actually assume you're using bing for it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrEHTd_3vD0
- semiquaver
I have no problem with this person choosing to use different language to describe this.
But I do have a problem generally with attempts to impose language changes on others (in the case of this post you only see that tendency in the title).
This sort of linguistic prescriptivism seems in vogue for political reasons lately, most saliently in the hordes of people who insist that you must not use natural anthropomorphic language when talking about LLMs, but that’s far from the only political attempt to control language we’ve seen recently. Let people talk how they want! Langauage is an evolving thing that shouldn’t be controlled by scolds!
- Quothling
Around here "google it" has been replaced by "spørg botten" which means "ask the bot" or "spørg GPT". I've been putting an effort into saying "look it up" and stuff like it instead of "google it" for a couple of years now. Looks like it'll probably be wasted effort soon though.
- jmathai
I'm not anti-Google by any means. But their products just aren't as essential in my life like they were 10 years ago. I'm not in the majority but ...
Google Photos -> Immich (better)
Google Search -> Claude (better)
Google Calendar -> Apple Calendar (better)
Google Chrome -> Safari or Firefox - someone please make a basic browser that can handle 30 tabs without needing gigs of memory
Google Maps -> .... I've been seeing if MapQuest is "good enough"
GMail -> .... I think Fastmail is "good enough" - GMail's bells and whistles aren't as important anymore
- abcthingx
Say what you will, but using "google" is just the fastest way to say "search the web." Unless a better, equally convenient phrase comes along, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.