"Google has gotten so rich, entrenched and popular that IMHO no competitor can dislodge it."
Isn't this the definition of a monopoly? And if so, isn't that reason enough to consider search as a public good or a publicly regulated means of accessing information?
Judging from the various anti-trust cases that have been brought on against Google around the world it's clear that proving that is nearly impossible too. More so because Google operates in a sector (Internet software) that is theoretically open to infinite competition and zero switching costs.
There's a whole issue of what the definition of 'using google' is to people. Even if I never search with Google, I'm still often using google stuff - or, more precisely, Google services are using/tracking me. And there's no obvious way to turn it off or opt out of it.
Isn't this the definition of a monopoly? And if so, isn't that reason enough to consider search as a public good or a publicly regulated means of accessing information?